This studio photograph shows a nyonya (Peranakan woman) wearing baju panjang flanked by a table and a jardinière. Her jewellery – tiara, ring, kerosang (brooches), anklets, and bracelets – are all hand-tinted. Printed on the mounting board is the studio mark: Yong Fong Photographer, 79 South Bridge Road Singapore.Yong Fong was a photography studio run by Lee Yin Fun. His father was also a photographer, and his cousin, Lee King Yan, established Lee Brothers Photographers at Hill Street, Singapore. Originally from Guangdong province, the Lee family set up more than a dozen photographic studios in Southeast Asia, including eight in Singapore: Lee Brothers Studio, Eastern Studio, Quan Hing, Tin Seng, Yong Fong, Koon Sun, Venus Studio, and Lee Weng Sun.Photography arrived in Singapore in 1841. By the 1860s many Europeans had established photography studios in Singapore, followed closely by the Chinese and Japanese. By the early 20th century, Chinese and Japanese run photography studios almost completely dominated the industry, not only in Singapore, but across Southeast Asia.
