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SINGAPORE : William Farquhar has long been associated with Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore.
But the first British Resident and Commandant of Singapore was also a naturalist and explorer.
His legacy of documenting nature is finally coming to the forefront, thanks to a new exhibition which is part of the National Museum's 120th anniversary celebrations.
This is the first time all 477 paintings of nature, commissioned by Farquhar, are being exhibited.
This collection is considered vital since a huge collection of nature paintings by Raffles sank in the ocean while on the way home to England.
Farquhar commissioned two artists - believed to be from China - to paint and document the new flora and fauna he came across at that time.
Some of the species had imaginatively been given an interesting makeover on canvas.
Iskander Mydin, Deputy Director, National Museum of Singapore, said: "Along the way, there was interplay of imagination, realism and Chinese artistic style. I think Farquhar would have accepted that, because the primary purpose was to have these things recorded first of the natural environment."
The recognition came much later. Iskander Mydin said: "... Farquhar was associated with these discoveries and he did write about them, but because of a delay in publishing these accounts, Raffles who read about these accounts, then got to write his own accounts and got it published in London and as a result got his name associated with these animals."
A distant relative of William Farquhar - a woman called Margaret Trudeau - was here last week and she was moved to tears by the exhibition.
She had just found out she is related to Farquhar while taking part in a reality TV show in Canada last month. She is also the ex-wife of a former Canadian prime minister.
Empire of Nature - The William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings - runs till October 21st. - CNA/ch
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