“Malay Priest”

This photograph shows a seated man in a studio setting. The man’s left hand is resting on a book on the table beside him. Inscribed on the recto: ‘Malay Priest’. 'Malay Priest' is an oft-used but inaccurate term to refer to hajis, Muslims who have completed their pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars of Islam. Photography studios had been established across the Straits Settlements and the Dutch East Indies by the 1860s, with the earliest studios being European-owned. Chinese- and Japanese-operated studios began appearing in increasing numbers in the 1890s, and by the early 20th century, these studios almost completely dominated the industry across Southeast Asia.

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