Ceylonese Collection

Sinhalese washerman, Kandy, Ceylon, 1898. Creator: Christian Wilhelm Allers
Sinhalese washerman, Kandy, Ceylon, 1898. Portrait of an elderly man with hair ornament. Singhelese in Kandy. From " Rund um die Erde", by C. W. Allers

Indian boy and girl in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), 1880 (print on double-weight paper)
3567078 Indian boy and girl in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), 1880 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info.: Sri Lanka 1880 ca. Photographer: Apothecaries' Company, L.td); Alinari Archives, Florence

Two warriors on the island of Ceylon, 1880 (print on double-weight paper)
3562700 Two warriors on the island of Ceylon, 1880 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info.: Sri Lanka 1880 - 1890 ca. Photographer: Unidentified Author); Alinari Archives, Florence.

Albert Edward Prince of Wales, during an elephant hunt in Ceylon in 1875 (print)
955284 Albert Edward Prince of Wales, during an elephant hunt in Ceylon in 1875 (print); Private Collection; (add.info.: Albert Edward Prince of Wales, future King Edward VII , 1841 - 1910)

Full-length portrait of a young Singhalese in ethnic attire complete with showy jewellery
3562680 Full-length portrait of a young Singhalese in ethnic attire complete with showy jewellery, 1880 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info)

Portrait of a Sri Lankan man, 1880 (print on double-weight paper)
3562699 Portrait of a Sri Lankan man, 1880 (print on double-weight paper); (add.info.: Sri Lanka 1880 - 1890 ca. Photographer: Unidentified Author); Alinari Archives, Florence.

Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: taming a wild elephant, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: taming a wild elephant, 1864. Engraving of a photograph '...of the great elephant-catching expedition to a place called Ebbewellepittia...so as to

Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: an elephant noosed, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: an elephant noosed, 1864. Engraving of a photograph '...of the great elephant-catching expedition to a place called Ebbewellepittia...so as to afford

Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: herd of wild elephants, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: herd of wild elephants, 1864. Engraving of a photograph '...of the great elephant-catching expedition to a place called Ebbewellepittia...so as to

Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: testing the rope, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: testing the rope, 1864. Engraving of a photograph '...of the great elephant-catching expedition to a place called Ebbewellepittia...so as to afford

Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: an elephant kraal, with the "grand stand"..., 1864
Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: an elephant kraal, with the "grand stand" for the English visitors, 1864

Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: the alarm, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Mode of capturing wild elephants in Ceylon: the alarm, 1864. Engraving of a photograph '...of the great elephant-catching expedition to a place called Ebbewellepittia...so as to afford the utmost

Landing of the Prince of Wales at Colombo: the Governor introducing Cinghalese... 1876. Creator: Unknown
Landing of the Prince of Wales at Colombo: the Governor introducing Cinghalese chiefs to the Prince [of Wales], from a sketch by one of our special artists, 1876. The Governor (the Right Hon. W. H)

Cinghalese Chiefs waiting for the Prince of Wales at Kandy, Ceylon, from a sketch by... 1876. Creator: Unknown
Cinghalese Chiefs waiting for the Prince of Wales at Kandy, Ceylon, from a sketch by one of our special artists, 1876. Royal visit of the future King Edward VII

Arch at Colombo, Ceylon, on the occasion of the Royal Visit, from a sketch by one... 1876. Creator: Unknown
Arch at Colombo, Ceylon, on the occasion of the Royal Visit [of the Prince of Wales], from a sketch by one of our special artists, 1876

The Prince giving sugar-cane to the elephants at the rehearsal of the Perahara, Kandy... 1876. Creator: Unknown
The Prince giving sugar-cane to the elephants at the rehearsal of the Perahara, Kandy, Ceylon, from a sketch by one of our special artists, 1876. The future King Edward VII on a royal visit to India

Preparing the decorations at Colombo, Ceylon, for the Royal Visit, from a sketch by one... 1876. Creator: Unknown
Preparing the decorations at Colombo, Ceylon, for the Royal Visit [of the Prince of Wales], from a sketch by one of our special artists

The Dalada as it is exhibited for the worship of the Cinghalese, 1876. Creator: Unknown
The Dalada as it is exhibited for the worship of the Cinghalese, 1876. The tooth relic has a long and eventful history, which includes the strong probability that it is not even the tooth which it

The Dalada, or tooth relic of Buddha, and golden lotus flower in the Maligawa Temple, Kandy... 1876 Creator: Unknown
The Dalada, or tooth relic of Buddha, and golden lotus flower in the Maligawa Temple, Kandy, Ceylon, as exhibited to the Prince of Wales, 1876

Wagtail with Fruit, 1785. Creator: Jan Brandes
Wagtail with Fruit, 1785. Bird from Ceylon. A small bird with 4 chestnuts, one of which is cut open....doesn't hop, lives on flies and caterpillars...Ceylon Adam's Apple is poisonous

Ceylon sloth, 1786. Creator: Jan Brandes
Ceylon sloth, 1786. Lemur tardigradus on board a ship....slept all day with his snout in his chest, in the evening & at night he walked about in his cage, and climbed upside down

The Uytlught Country House, Colombo, c.1750. Creator: B. van Lier
The Uytlught Country House, Colombo, c.1750. Dutch colonialists in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Attributed to B. van Lier

Reading the News of the Fall of Sebastopol at Ceylon, 1856. Creator: Unknown
Reading the News of the Fall of Sebastopol at Ceylon, 1856. Crimean War news. Engraving...from a photograph by Mr. Parting...representing the scene in the Colombo Observer office during the reading

The Great Pagoda in Chalembron, India, 1774. Creator: Carel Frederik Reimer
The Great Pagoda in Chalembron, India, 1774. Tiruvetkalam Pasupatheswarar Temple at Cidambaram, dedicated to Shiva, the Lord of the Dance

Reception of the envoys of the King of Kandy by Governor Imam Falck, 1772. Creator: Carel Frederik Reimer
Reception of the envoys of the King of Kandy by Governor Imam [sic] Falck, 1772. Iman Willem Falck, Governor of Zeylan (Dutch Ceylon, now Sri Lanka)

Coomarasumay, Dr. portrait photograph, 1916 Mar. 14. Creator: Arnold Genthe
Coomarasumay, Dr. portrait photograph, 1916 Mar. 14

Elephant assisting to lay down water-pipes near Kandy, in Ceylon, 1856. Creator: Unknown
Elephant assisting to lay down water-pipes near Kandy, in Ceylon, 1856. View of...the great waterworks at present in course of erection upon Messrs

Dr. Coomarasumay, portrait photograph, 1918 Mar. 5. Creator: Arnold Genthe
Dr. Coomarasumay, portrait photograph, 1918 Mar. 5. Ceylonese philosopher, historian, author, metaphysician and philosopher Ananda K. Coomaraswamy

Dr. Coomarasumay, portrait photograph, 1918 Mar. 5. Creator: Arnold Genthe
Dr. Coomarasumay, portrait photograph, 1918 Mar. 5. Ceylonese philosopher, historian, author, metaphysician and philosopher Ananda K. Coomaraswamy

The Graphic, Front Cover June 19th. 1886, 1886. Creator: Unknown
The Graphic, Front Cover June 19th. 1886, 1886. The Ceylon tea industry - Tamul girl plucking a tea bush. From "The Graphic. An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper Volume 33. January to June, 1886"

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at Ceylon, 1835, 1886. Creator: H Hammal
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at Ceylon, 1886. From "The Graphic. An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper Volume 33. January to June, 1886"

'Free Rest House and Orchard for Poor Wayfarers in Morotto, 1891. Creator: LK van Dort
'Free Rest House and Orchard for Poor Wayfarers in Morotto, 1891. From "The Graphic. An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper", Volume 44. July to December, 1891

'Alfred House, Colombo, The Town Residence of Lady de Soysa, 1891. Creator: LK van Dort
'Alfred House, Colombo, The Town Residence of Lady de Soysa. 1891. From "The Graphic. An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper", Volume 44. July to December, 1891

'The de Soysa Lying-In Home and Medical Museum, Colombo, 1891 Creator: LK van Dort
'The de Soysa Lying-In Home and Medical Museum, Colombo, 1891. From "The Graphic. An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper", Volume 44. July to December, 1891

'Lady de Soysa, widow of the late CH de Soysa, 1891. Creator: Unknown
'Lady de Soysa, widow of the late CH de Soysa, 1891. From "The Graphic. An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper", Volume 44. July to December, 1891

'The Prince of Wales College, Morottos, Ceylon, 1891. Creator: LK van Dort
'The Prince of Wales College, Morottos, Ceylon, 1891. From "The Graphic. An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper", Volume 44. July to December, 1891

Buddha Standing with Hand in the Gesture of Reassurance (Abhayamudra), 18th century. Creator: Unknown
Buddha Standing with Hand in the Gesture of Reassurance (Abhayamudra), Kandyan period (1480-1815), 18th century

Buddha Standing with Hand in the Gesture of Reassurance (Abhayamudra) with...(1480-1815). Creator: Unknown
Buddha Standing with Hand in the Gesture of Reassurance (Abhayamudra) with Radiating Nimbus, Kandyan period (1480-1815)

Rosama and Sandenam, Tamil girls, Kandy, Ceylon, 1898. Creator: Christian Wilhelm Allers
Rosama and Sandenam, Tamil girls, Kandy, Ceylon, 1898. Portrait of two young women in what is now Sri Lanka. Rosama und Sandenam - Tamilmadchen, Kandy

Sinhalese girls, Kandy, Ceylon, 1898. Creator: Christian Wilhelm Allers
Sinhalese girls, Kandy, Ceylon, 1898. Portrait of children in what is now Sri Lanka. Singhalesische madchen, Kandy. From " Rund um die Erde" [Round the Earth], written and illustrated by C

Group of Singhalese men, women and children, in ethnic clothes, outside of shacks that also function as shops. The goods displayed range from bananas to other fruits and vegetables Sri Lanka

A shack, surrounded by thick vegetation, principally palms (Sri Lanka). A Singalese man is sitting on the doorstep Sri Lanka ( Ceylon ). Date of Photograph:1880-1900 ca

Girl of the Rodiya Caste in Sri Lanka (b / w photo)
5999719 Girl of the Rodiya Caste in Sri Lanka (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Girl of the Rodiya Caste in Sri Lanka)

People of Ceylon worshipping the God Ganesh, giver of Wisdom, Health and Wealth
DGC398065 People of Ceylon worshipping the God Ganesh, giver of Wisdom, Health and Wealth, 1729 (copperplate engraving) by Picart

Street scene in a fishing village, Mutwal, Ceylon, 1898. Creator: Christian Wilhelm Allers
Street scene in a fishing village, Mutwal, Ceylon, 1898. Boy with his catch in what is now Sri Lanka. Strasse in Fischerdorf Mut-Wal

Pina - drummer boy in a Buddhist temple, Kandy, Ceylon, 1898. Creator: Christian Wilhelm Allers
Pina - drummer boy in a Buddhist temple, Kandy, Ceylon, 1898. Portrait of a child with a set of double drums secured round his waist. Pina, Trommeljunge in Buddha-Tempel

Tea pickers, Peradeniya, Ceylon, 1898. Creator: Christian Wilhelm Allers
Tea pickers, Peradeniya, Ceylon, 1898. In der Theefelden bei Paradenia. From " Rund um die Erde" [Round the Earth], written and illustrated by C. W. Allers

Watta Raka Anunayaka Farunansa, Buddhist head priest, Ceylon, 1898. Portrait of a shaven-headed priest of the Buddha temple at the Malwathu Maha Viharaya, a monastery in Kandy

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"Ceylonese: A Glimpse into the Rich Cultural Tapestry of Sri Lanka" Step back in time to 1898, where Christian Wilhelm Allers captured the essence life. From the Sinhalese washerman in Kandy to the Tamil girls Rosama and Sandenam, these portraits reveal a vibrant society. In Kandy, Ceylon's cultural capital, we witness the beauty of diversity. The Sinhalese girls radiate grace and charm as they proudly represent their heritage. Meanwhile, a young Sri Lankan boy from the 1920s embodies innocence and curiosity that defined his era. Religion plays an integral role in Ceylonese society. People gather to worship Ganesh, seeking wisdom, health, and wealth bestowed by this revered deity. Pina, a drummer boy in a Buddhist temple in Kandy transports us with his rhythmic beats echoing through time. Venturing beyond temples and cities takes us to Mutwal's fishing village street scene. Here we encounter hardworking individuals who rely on the sea for sustenance – their resilience evident amidst picturesque coastal surroundings. Colombo offers glimpses into everyday life; studies of people showcase diverse faces reflecting Ceylon's multicultural fabric. Among them is a Tamil boy from Kandy whose presence symbolizes unity amid diversity. Commerce also thrives within this island nation as depicted by a moneylender from Kandy - an embodiment of entrepreneurial spirit intertwined with traditional values. Even outside Sri Lanka's shores, its influence permeates across continents. In London during World War II (1942), Hsiao Chien meets J. M Tambimuttu bridging Chinese-Sri Lankan cultures - proof that connections transcend borders even during tumultuous times. Lastly, let us not forget about "Burghers" - descendants of European colonizers who assimilated into local culture creating unique communities within Ceylon.