Object size: (Mount) 31.0 x 26.5 x 0.1 cm,
Image size: Please refer to indivdual parts
These four photographs affixed to an album leaf were once part of a larger album of both formal and informal photographs. These informal photographs provide an insight into the daily life. One photograph depicts a group of men and women posing in a garden, the second depicts a seated woman playing a musical instrument, the third is of a group of women in an outdoor setting, and the fourth shows a group standing on the grounds of a large house.Peranakans commissioned photographs to document their families and important life events such as births, marriages, and deaths. They also commissioned photographs to record their involvement in business enterprises, and in social causes such as schools, academic societies, religious groups, and in community and cultural associations.With improvements in camera technology, it became possible to take photographs without the assistance of a studio in the first decades of the 20th century. Increasingly, photographs were taken outdoors, or in domestic spaces, rather than in studios. However, amateur photography remained relatively expensive and was limited to the wealthier members of society who could afford to take photographs for pleasure and to document their daily lives.
