You must be wondering why the Portrait of Sir Stamford Raffles was not chosen as a National Treasure and this is. Three words: John Singer Sargent and this is an original.
National Treasure1
Portrait of Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham
Oil on canvas | John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), 1904 | 258 cm × 142.5 cm | National Museum of Singapore collection
Sir Frank Swettenham first entered the Straits Settlements service as a cadet in 1871 and retired as Governor in 1904. His service is commemorated in this portrait painted by John Singer Sargent2, the most celebrated portraitist of his time. Swettenham, who admired Sargent’s work, personally selected him for the portrait, and in the course of the sittings the two became good friends.
Swettenham was responsible for the development of roads, railways and social services in the Malay States.
This portrait, commissioned by the Straits Association, commemorated Sir Frank Swettenham’s long service as Resident-General of the Federated Malay States and Governor of the Straits Settlements.3
Swettenham is portrayed as a strong leader exuding power and authority. He is dressed in an immaculate white uniform, with his arm resting on a gilded armchair covered in Malay silk brocade. Surrounding him are various symbols of office – his white pith helmet, ivory baton, sword, and Order of St. Michael and St. George (K.C.M.G.) star. Visible above him, on the left, is the lower half of a globe on a gilt stand, showing a segment of the Malay Archipelago.4
A 1903 version in the National Portrait Gallery in London by the same painter shows him in the same white uniform and the elegant, Van Dyckian pose, leaning against the chair and gripping it with his right hand, his claw-like fingers providing a note of tension.6 This version is a more relaxed pose.
Sir Swettenham is joined by his esteemed colleagues by his sides at the Singapore History gallery at the National Museum of Singapore, sharing a huge wall, ignored by uninterested tourists from China. It seemed to me they were only interested in their own history, and kept complaining the porcelain shards and fragments were a waste of time.
Portrait of Sir Harry St. George Ord
Oil on canvas | John Edgar Williams, 1875 | National Museum of Singapore collection
1867 marked a new chapter in the history of Singapore, with the Straits Settlements becoming a Crown Colony. The first colonial governor was Sir Harry Ord, whose term from 1867 to 1873 was marked by an efficiently run government and economic progress. However, he was an unpopular governor, owing to his strong character and his drastic measures in reorganising the administration and attempts to stamp out nepotism and systems of patronage.
Nonetheless, a portrait was commissioned in his honour by Hoo Ah Kay, the Chinese businessman and leader commonly known as Whampoa, and other Chinese residents of Singapore. Painted by British artist John Edgar Williams, this portrait depicts Ord standing dignified in his military uniform. Having assumed office in the Town Hall (Victoria Theatre today) on 1 April 1867, Ord would have found it apt that his portrait was unveiled at the same venue in 1875, albeit with less fanfare.7
Portrait of Sir John Anderson
Oil on canvas | William Orpen, 1913 | National Museum of Singapore collection
Sir John Anderson was appointed Governor of the Straits Settlements in 1904, taking over from Sir Frank Swettenham. in his seven years of office, Anderson was known for his municipal policy and the acquisition of the Tanjong Pagar Docks for public ownership. He also worked to bring Singapore closer to the Malay States.
This stately portrait of Anderson in court dress was painted by celebrated Irish painter William Orpen, and funded by a few Chinese and British residents of Singapore. It caused a stir when unveiled in 1913 – while the poise and grandeur of the portrait were recognised, there was widespread criticism of its severe and weary portrayal of Anderson.8
History of Singapore
Singapore’s history is a journey from ancient settlement to modern metropolis. Initially known as Temasek, it was a 14th-century trading post, later falling under the influence of various empires. Sir Stamford Raffles established a British trading post in 1819, transforming the island into a thriving port. Post-World War II, Singapore gained self-governance and eventually independence, first as part of Malaysia and then as a sovereign nation in 1965.
The Singapore Treasures series focuses on the artefacts, relics and key monuments and moments that shaped this young nation. It is divided into four main parts.
- Pre-colonial before 1819
- British Colonial Rule (1819-1942), Japanese Occupation (1942-1945) and Post-War (1945-1955)
- Self government (1955-1963) and merger with Malaysia (1963-1965)
- Independence since 1965
Footnotes:
- The full list of national treasures is as follows: (1) The Singapore Stone (2)
a 1904 portrait of Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham, the first Resident General
of the Federated Malay States, by John Singer Sargent; (3) the last will and
testament of Munshi Abdullah, the father of modern Malay literature; (4)
the mace of the City of Singapore (1953) that was presented by Chinese
philanthropist Loke Wan Tho in conjunction with King George VI granting
Singapore a Royal Charter in 1951, raising its status to a city; (5) an 1844
daguerreotype of the view from Fort Canning Hill by French customs service
officer Alphonse-Eugene Jules, one of the earliest photographic images of
Singapore; (6) fourteenth-century gold armlets and rings in East Javanese
style, found at Fort Canning Hill in 1928; (7) a 1939 portrait of Sir Shenton
Thomas, the last Governor of the Straits Settlements, by painter Xu Beihong;
(8) a collection of 477 natural history drawings of flora and fauna in Melaka
commissioned by Resident of Singapore William Farquhar in the 19th century;
(9) a wooden hearse used for the funeral of Chinese philanthropist
Tan Jiak Kim in 1917; (10) an early twentieth-century embroidered Chinese
coffin cover, one of the largest of its kind in existence in Singapore; and (11)
a glove puppet stage belonging to the Fujian puppet troupe, Xin Sai Le, which
came to Singapore in the 1930s. See: Wei Chean Lim, “Singapore’s Treasures”
in The Straits Times (31 January 2006). ↩︎ - John Singer Sargent was an American expatriate artist, considered the “leading portrait painter of his generation” for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Singer_Sargent ↩︎
- https://www.roots.gov.sg/stories-landing/stories/the-singapore-story-through-60-objects ↩︎
- Museum Information Card, Aug 2025 ↩︎
- Sir Frank (Athelstane) Swettenham
by John Singer Sargent
oil on canvas, 1904
67 1/4 in. x 43 1/2 in. (1708 mm x 1105 mm)
Bequeathed by Sir Frank (Athelstane) Swettenham, 1971
Primary Collection
NPG 4837
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06169/Sir-Frank-Athelstane-Swettenham ↩︎ - https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw06169/Sir-Frank-Athelstane-Swettenham ↩︎
- Museum Information Card, Aug 2025 ↩︎
- Museum Information Card, Aug 2025 ↩︎
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