Singapore Harbor with Junks and Sailing Ships, Antique Steel Engraving, 1859

An original antique steel engraving, uncolored, titled "SINCAPORE." A long stone quay runs from the lower left toward the harbor, crowded with people: porters in wide conical hats and loose jackets, men in tricorn hats and coats, and two camels with loaded saddles. Small cargo boats with barrel-shaped covers lie against the quay at the right, beside larger boats with tall masts and slanting yards. Beyond, the harbor is full of shipping, from junks with ribbed sails to square-rigged ships at anchor near a fortified tower on the right. At the left a town of white, flat-roofed buildings with minarets rises behind walls and terraces, and a palm grows at the corner of a roof in the foreground.

The plate is lettered below the image in Dutch: "SINCAPORE.", which translates as "Singapore". Beneath the caption, in a small script, is the publisher's imprint "Uitg. Gebrs Kraaÿ, Amsterdam.", short for uitgegeven (published) by the Kraay brothers of Amsterdam. No artist or engraver is named on the plate.

The source is Britsch-Indië, beschreven naar de nieuwste bronnen by A. van Otterloo (Amsterdam, Gebroeders Kraay, 1859), the Eerste Deel of the series Vreemde Landen en Volken, a set of books on foreign countries and their peoples. Its title page promises Met Vier-en-Twintig Staalgravuren en eene Kaart, that is, with twenty-four steel engravings and a map, and this plate is one of those engravings.

Singapore was founded as a British trading post in 1819 and grew quickly as a free port. The crowded quay and the mixture of vessels make this a detailed harbor picture for a study or a collection of port views.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.