M. T. Hla, also known as Mtaung Htun Hla (1874-1946), is known for his watercolours on paper depicting the different ethnic types of the colony. His works were primarily serving Western clientele and sold at the Smart and Mookerdum bookshop in Rangoon. According to Glass, his friendship with the Governor General Sir Saw Maung may have been instrumental in securing the artist huge sales of his pictures which were largely collected by the British. M.T. Hla was one of the first artists to travel extensively through the countryside and introduce genre of this kind. Usually, the subjects are shown adorned in ethnic dress against the sketchiest of backgrounds.
