This is a long-handled brass water ladle with a cylindrical scoop at the end. Such ladles were used to scoop water for the purpose of brewing coffee or tea in ‘kopitiams’ (coffee shops) from the 1930s. The ‘kopitiam’ was a male-dominated meeting place where bachelors congregated for breakfast consisting of toast, eggs and a beverage such as coffee or tea. It has become an important feature of Singapore’s landscape since the 1950s.
