This photographic portrait of an elegantly dressed Kling couple was taken at the G.R. Lambert & Co. Studio. The Klings were an immigrant group that had arrived in Singapore from India under British colonial rule. Among the numerous photographic studios set up in the later decades of the 19th century, the German GR Lambert & Co. was the longest surviving. It also produced one of the most comprehensive collections of pictorial documentation in Singapore’s history. Photography was introduced in Singapore in the decades following the arrival of British and other Europeans. Advancements in the technology changed the nature of photography, as it evolved from a form of documentation to become a commercially viable economic sector in Singapore. These photographic studios were visited by well-to-do families and individuals, mostly wealthy businessmen or European businessmen or officials. Such practices could be seen as a continuation of traditional portraiture as a privilege of the affluent.
