1907 Singapore Malay Woman Batik Lambert Studio Straits Settlements Postcard

Title
1907 Singapore Malay Woman Baju Batik Sarong Lambert Studio Portrait Straits Ethnic Postcard

Front Description
A vertical black and white collotype postcard showing a studio portrait of a young Malay woman, published by G. R. Lambert & Co., Singapore. She stands facing the camera with a calm, direct gaze, her hair drawn back smoothly from her face, and small earrings. She wears a long, loose baju (tunic) in a small checked pattern with wide sleeves, fastened at the front with ornamental brooches. A long beaded necklace hangs around her neck. Below the baju she wears a batik sarong with a bold pattern of tumpal (triangle) motifs and small star or flower designs. Her left hand rests on her hip with bangles at the wrist, and in her right hand, also wearing a bangle, she holds a spray of flowers. She wears simple slippers.

The studio setting includes a painted backdrop with palms and a domed building in soft focus, with real potted plants, ferns and a rustic prop in front. The Lambert negative number “A27273” is printed at lower right. The caption in red at upper left reads “Malay Woman”.

Condition: toning and light soiling. The top edge is perforated, as the card was separated from a booklet or strip. There are small notches and edge wear along both sides and minor corner wear. See scans for exact condition.

Back Description
Printed in green:
“UNION POSTALE UNIVERSELLE
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS
POST CARD
THE ADDRESS TO BE WRITTEN ON THIS SIDE.
FOR INLAND POSTAGE ONLY THIS SPACE MAY BE USED FOR COMMUNICATION”
Publisher’s imprint at bottom: “G. R. Lambert & Co., Singapore.”

Franked with a Straits Settlements red stamp, partly torn, cancelled with a SINGAPORE circular datestamp with “NO” and “1907” visible.

A handwritten message in faded brown ink runs upside down across the message area. It is very hard to read, and only a few words can be made out.

Handwritten address:
“Miss E.(?) Skipper
“Waltula”(?)
Hewitt Av.
Rose Park
Adelaide
Australia”

History
G. R. Lambert & Co. was the most important photographic studio in Singapore. It was founded in 1867 by the German photographer Gustave Richard Lambert and became court photographers to the Sultan of Johor. In the early 1900s the firm produced thousands of views and ethnographic studio portraits of the many communities of the Straits Settlements. These were sold as postcards to travellers and residents. Their portraits of Malay, Chinese, Indian and other peoples, posed in traditional dress against painted backdrops, are now valued as records of the region’s costume and culture. The long baju and batik sarong worn here were everyday dress for Malay women in Singapore and the Malay Peninsula at the time. This card was sent from Singapore in 1907 to the same Skipper household on Hewitt Avenue, Rose Park, Adelaide, as the other Singapore, Shanghai and Japan cards in this group.

Estimated Era
Published around 1905–1907 and posted in 1907. The Singapore datestamp shows “1907”. The divided back with Straits Settlements UPU wording and the “For Inland Postage only” message area matches cards from about 1904 to 1907. The Lambert “A” series negative number in the 27000 range, the collotype printing and the perforated top edge from a postcard booklet all fit this period.

• Please
  closely inspect the photos to understand the condition of the coins or
  banknotes before proceeding with your purchase, as grading can be
  subjective and varies from person to person.
• Please do not place too much hope on grading companies to grade the notes accurately, as they can be notoriously inconsistent.
• Different graders have different opinions, eye factors, and knowledge that influence the final grading.
• Even grading companies do not guarantee that you will get the outcome of your desired grading.
• If
  you have any questions or require additional information, I am more
  than happy to assist. Please feel free to contact me anytime.

Shipping Information

• Combined Shipping:
  We offer combined shipping for all banknotes. To take advantage of this
  offer, please add the items to your cart together and only proceed to
  checkout once you are ready to pay. The combined shipping is calculated
  at the checkout page. Please do not pay for items individually, as the
  shipping costs will not be combined that way.
• Customs, Duty, Tariff Fees: Buyers are responsible for any applicable customs, duty or tariff fees.
• International Shipping:
  Shipping duration can vary, typically ranging from 14 to 60 business
  days for standard delivery. Please be aware that these shipping times
  are estimates and depend on the operational efficiencies of the shipping
  companies, which we cannot control.
• Postage Costs:
  Please note that international shipping via Australia Post is not
  cheap. We strive to keep the shipping costs as low as possible,
  sometimes even absorbing a portion of the costs. All orders are sent
  with end-to-end tracking for safety and reliability.
• Untracked Shipping Requests:
  If a buyer insists on requesting an untracked, cheaper shipping option,
  we reserve the right to grant or refuse the request. If untracked
  shipping is granted, please be aware that we have no way of tracking the
  mail, and the buyer is strictly responsible for any losses in transit.
• Tracking and Logistics:
  Please check Australia Post for tracking status. Since we do not own
  Australia Post, we have absolutely no control over their handling times
  and methods. Australia is a huge continent, and logistics are
  challenging, coupled with one of the highest minimum wages in the world,
  making costs and operations tough. Please check with your postal
  service or local post offices if any unattended mail notes are left, as
  we absolutely can’t control that remotely.

Customer Conduct

• Please be respectful when communicating with us. We do not tolerate abusive behaviour from buyers.
• If you do not agree with the postage cost or any other terms, please refrain from making a purchase.