1828 (undated)
Description
A striking early view of Bangkok, Thailand, issued in 1828 shortly following John Crawfurd s diplomatic mission to the royal courts of Siam. The view looks eastward across the Chao Phraya River towards what is today Bangkok s Chinatown. Chinese riverfront shops line the Chao Phraya. Dusit Maha Prasat, King Rama I s (1737 - 1809) great throne hall, built in 1789, rising in the background. A large Chinese junk occupies the foreground.
Crawfurd on BangkokWhen Crawfurd arrived Bangkok it was not yet an exceptionally large city, but nonetheless had been made capitol of Siam in 1782 by Rama I. The larger population center and old capital was further north at Ayutthaya. Crawfurd dedicates significant attention to the city,
1828 (undated)
Description
The first printed view of Singapore, issued less than 10 years after it was founded by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781 - 1826). This aquatint view was published in 1828 after a painting by Royal Navy Captain Robert James Elliot. It looks on Singapore from Government Hill, covering the Plain, Singapore River, and Chinatown. Even at this early stage, presents a bustling city with numerous buildings and a lively port. We have not been able to trance Elliot s original painting.
Census and Publication HistoryThe map view drawn in late 1822 or early 1823, but was not printed until John Crawfurd included it in the 1828 publication of his