This print (wood engraving) shows the Dalhousie Obelisk, near the entrance of the Singapore River. The shape was rendered inaccurately to resemble a pyramidal spire. The obelisk was built to commemorate the visit of the Governor-General of India, Lord Dalhousie, and his wife in 1850. Funds for the obelisk were donated by the prosperous merchant community in the hopes that the visit would lead to dramatic improvements in public works, amenities and the administration of the settlement. Unfortunately, nothing concrete materialised from the visit. Designed by J.T. Thomson, the obelisk was later erected near the sea wall on the north side of Anderson Bridge. It was threatened by the construction of Connaught Drive in 1886, and Governor Sir Cecil Clementi Smith intervened to ensure its safe removal to the banks of the Singapore River near Empress Place, where it has stood since 1891.
