A good source of old Malaya photos is the archive of G R Lambert & Co, a Singapore-based photographic studio that produced thousands of picture postcards and private portraits between 1875 and 1918.
The studio was established in 1867 in Singapore by Gustave Richard Lambert, who was originally from Dresden, Germany. The firm later expanded with regional offices in Sumatra, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.
High-resolution versions of many of Lambert’s photos and works by other photographers of the period are in the public domain.
This is thanks to Leiden University Library and the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (KITLV) which, in 2015 and 2016, donated 5,574 high-resolution, mainly 19th and early 20th century photographs and works of art to Wikimedia Commons in a partnership with Wikimedia.
Here are a few examples of Lambert’s work. Take a look at Wikipedia Commons for large, high-quality versions.
What a different place KL was in 1900. The Sultan Abdul Samad Building is clearly recognisable and the forested hills beyond would be where the Lake Gardens, Bukit Aman and Taman Tugu now are located. The rows of houses in the foreground would be the Chinatown area around Petaling Street.
This view, again about 1900, is of the Gombak River with the back of the Sultan Abdul Samad building on the right. The buildings on the left bank of the river have all been replaced by high-rise tower blocks.
The river was tranquil and scenic in those days but prone to severe flooding. It has now been channelised with concrete embankments.
Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur has tried to bring back some of the river’s former charm with its River of Life project, which has beautified the riverside with walkways, water features and new planting.
This panorama shot dating from 1900 must have been taken from the slope behind Jalan Tangsi with the old Selangor Club facing the padang opposite the Sultan Abdul Samad building.
The hill behind Sultan Abdul Samad building has been flattened and built on. St Mary’s Church can be seen on the left.
This is another view of the Sultan Abdul Samad building taken in 1900. Apart from the lack of traffic and the rickshaws not much has changed.
This panorama of Melaka, taken in 1885, shows the extent of land reclamation that has taken place in the 140 years since. The buildings on the waterfront on the right still survive.
They now house the Malaysian Architectural Museum and the Islamic Museum in Jalan Kota but after several rounds of land reclamation, they are a long way back from the sea.
This view of the Stadthuys and clock tower in the heart of Malacca in 1900 is not much different from today, except that the bullock carts have been replaced by tourist buses and colourful trishaws.
Note the gas lamp. The roof of the Stadthuys looked a lot shabbier in those days and the place has been tidied up considerably, as you would expect since this is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Old Malaya photos by C J Kleingrothe
The following photos were by another German photographer, Carl Josef Kleingrothe (1864-1925) who was based in Medan, also from the Leiden University Library/KITLV Collection of Southeast Asian & Caribbean Images, public domain.
The striped building with Mughal minarets is today the National Textile Museum, but when the photo was taken it was the headquarters of the Federated Malay States Railways.
The road is now called Jalan Sultan Hishamsuddin and the railway track has been moved about 100 metres to the west. Jalan Kinabalu now follows the route of the old railway line.
This photo of Batu Caves was taken in 1910. The Batu Caves railway station is more or less in the same place. This section of Batu Caves is where Ramayana Cave and the statue of Hanuman are now located.
This photo is titled “Clark Road, Kuala Lumpur (from left to right): Tianchin & Co, The Dispensary Ltd and Mc Alister & Co”. This lane was actually Holland Street (Clarke Street was around the corner) and is known today as Jalan Mahkamah Persekutuan.
The building on the left has been demolished but to the right of the block was Chow Kit & Co, a Chinese-owned, western-style general department store. The building still stands and houses the Industrial Court of Malaysia.
This article first appeared in Malaysia Traveller.
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