Storehouse of memories
Visits the Penang Museum on the last day of its closure for a trip down memory lane
I thank my lucky stars for not having made any other commitments for the day.
IcrosstheSultanAbdulHalimMuadzam Shah Bridge at a little past 9.30am and reach the museum entrance exactly at the top of the hour.
Rajesh is already there and I am relieved to see that he has reserved the adjacent parking lot for me. There is very limited parking space at the museum and drivers are not allowed to park along the narrow Lebuh Farquhar.
There is already a long queue snaking at the ticketing counter by the time we walk in.
“There are many like-minded people here today. They want to see the museum one last time before the upgrading and renovation work starts,” Rajesh tells the ticketing assistant.
The ground floor section is quite crowded and there is barely enough space for us to move about comfortably.
Feeling slightly claustrophobic, Rajesh and I decide to check out the exhibits in the upper floor first.
“We can always come down later when the crowd has dispersed,” says Rajesh as we walk up the spacious concrete staircase.
UP ON THE FIRST FLOOR The first floor is very quiet and there is hardly a soul in sight. We head straight for the picture-postcard section. This is our favourite place as these early images show the progressive changes happening in Penang from the late 19th century onwards.
Most people did not have theluxuryofowningtheirown cameras at that time. Visitors to Penang would drop in at photography studios around Penang Road and Leith Street to buy these specially printed cards to send home to their loved ones.
The more well-known picturepostcard publishers at that time included G.R. Lambert and August Kaulfus.
We learn that the earliest picture postcards depicted multiple vignettes, better known as thumbnail views. These photo montages often depicted views of the Penang Harbour, local people in their traditional costumes and also places of worship.
The earliest known postcard of Malaya is dated Aug 1, 1898. During the first half of the 20th century, postcards with single scenes gradually became popular. Exquisitely painted and colourful Peranakan plate.