Fotoalbum van de Tanjong Pagar Dock Co. Ltd. in Singapore before 1905

Curator: Here we have a rather compelling object: a photograph album from before 1905 entitled "Fotoalbum van de Tanjong Pagar Dock Co. Ltd. in Singapore," currently held in the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: It strikes me as remarkably well-preserved for its age. The embossed detail and the company seal offer such textural and tonal subtlety; the aged paper presents an intriguing limited palette, and the very construction conveys permanence. Curator: Indeed. Consider the central emblem, rendered in a decorative style typical of the era: A lion rests regally, framed by the company name. Note also the embossed circular flourishes at each corner—strategically placed to create symmetry and further reinforce the implied shape within a shape. Editor: That regal lion… What did it signify to Singapore’s burgeoning shipping industry? The British colonial influence, of course, with the lion as a recurrent symbol of power. Perhaps the dock company sought to imbue its work with these overtones of colonial authority and might. Curator: A keen insight. As an albumen print, the image itself undergoes a transformation over time, its details softly blurring, colors muting. Yet it retains a photographic realism even as it succumbs to natural processes. Editor: In that decay there is also an honesty. The symbol begins to lose its rigid form over time and it takes on new textures that were never intended. It ceases to represent authority, and begins to echo themes of memory and even impermanence. What was built to last can not, as it turns out. Curator: The photograph album stands as a fascinating testament to the fusion of commerce, symbolism, and artistic execution during a pivotal historical moment. Editor: A poignant reminder that even symbols, no matter how imposing, are shaped and reshaped by the inexorable currents of time and human experience.