A uniform set of large photographic albumen prints of Singapore, including exterior views of traditional, European and mixed-style buildings, landscapes, the botanical gardens, etc., many with European and/or Malay people in the scene and some with horse-drawn carriages, or boats. The two views from Fort Canning have been attributed to August Sachtler (ca. 1839-1873): one looking southwest toward Telok Blanagah village and its hill, with a Malay man in the foreground; the other looking southeast toward the roadstead, with many ships in the background and a canon in the foreground, at least the former published in National Museum of Singapore, The image of our landscape (2009). Sachtler gained experience as a photographer in the Prussian Expedition to Japan and China (1860-1862), came to Singapore in 1863 and worked there as a commercial photographer to his death in April 1873. He may have made some of the other photographs as well. They show the Jamae Mosque (ca. 1835) and Sri Mariamman Hindu temple (ca. 1827); six views of the botanical gardens established by Whampoa (1816-1880); a jungle plantation in operation (with 4 boats); jungle houses built on wooden stilts with roofs and some walls of reed; the Hôtel de l'Europe; the mission chapel; the gothic revival St Andrew's Cathedral (ca. 1861); Raffles Square; the town hall (ca. 1862).
As usual with albumen prints, the sky in the background shows little or no detail of clouds, and two or three have lost a bit of detail in the background, but all further preserve very detailed images and are in very good condition, with only occasional minor spots. A remarkable set of large, detailed and well-preserved historical images of Singapore ca. 1870.