Singapore's Early Print
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BIBLIOASIA JUL – SEP 2018 Vol. 14 / Issue 02 / Feature THE STUFF OF Advertising has existed since ancient (Facing page) An advertisement by Warin Publicity Services. Image reproduced from The Straits Times Annual 1939, back cover. times in various different shapes and (Above) Early advertising agencies in Singapore helped clients to produce and place advertisements in forms. In the ruins of Pompeii for instance, newspapers as well as provide copywriting and design services. In the 1918 Who’s Who in Malaya, Dossett advertisements hawking the services of & Co. promoted itself as the ad agent for the local Chinese paper Lat Pau. Similar advertisements were prostitutes were carved into the buried produced by J.R. Flynn Anderson and Siow Choon Leng. Images reproduced from (left to right) Dossett, stonework of this thriving Roman city J.W. (1918). Who’s Who in Malaya 1918 (p. 137). Singapore: Printed for Dossett & Co. by Methodist Pub. a House (Accession no.: B02940225B; Microfilm no.: NL5829); The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile 1 before it was destroyed in 79 CE. In me- Advertiser, 11 December 1918, p. 2; and The Straits Times, 4 March 1919, p. 3. a dieval Europe, town criers roamed the ae streets making public announcements accompanied by the ringing of a hand bell. Press and Mercantile Advertiser, which 20th century. This should come as little In China, one of the earliest advertising was first published in 1835. surprise, given the island’s history as artefacts discovered was a printing block From the publication of the island’s a major entrepôt port and commercial Before the advent of the internet, print of an advertisement for a needle shop in first local broadsheet, Singapore Chronicle hub of the British Empire in Asia since its advertisements reigned supreme. These Jinan, Shandong province, dating from the and Commercial Register, in January 1824 founding in 1819. Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127 CE).2 to the outbreak of World War II in 1942, primary documents provide important In various towns and cities across more than 150 newspapers had been pub- clues to the social history of the period Asia, street vendors calling out to custom- lished in various languages in Singapore.6 ers have existed since time immemorial. Judging from the large volume of adver- as Chung Sang Hong tells us. Itinerant hawkers – who moved from place tisements in this medium, one can conclude to place peddling food, drinks, vegetables, that before the Japanese Occupation, textiles and various sundries while verbally the newspaper was the most important “advertising” their wares – were once a advertising platform in Singapore. common sight on the streets of Singapore.3 Of course, other print publications In the West, Johannes Gutenberg’s existed too, competing with newspapers invention of the printing press around 1450 for a slice of the advertising pie. Business gave birth to print advertising as an unin- directories, periodicals and magazines, tended by-product, with the first printed souvenir publications, travel guides and advertisement in the English language related ephemera, and even cookbooks, appearing in 1477.4 By the 17th century, contained advertisements, promoting vari- many European towns and cities were ous products and services that targeted producing publications containing news specific audiences. that resembled modern newspapers.5 Apart from print media, other forms The revenue earned from adver- of advertising – advertisements screened tising has always been a major source before the start of movies, painted bill- of profit for newspapers. Ever since boards, street posters, advertisements on newspapers first made their appearance, buses and railway platforms, neon signs, and for many centuries thereafter, this etc – also existed in pre-war Singapore. William Joseph Warin founded Warin Studios in Chung Sang Hong is Assistant Director format became the main medium for 1932, which was renamed Warin Publicity Services (Exhibitions & Curation) at the National advertisements. Indeed, some news- A Rich Advertising Heritage in 1937. The ad agency was well known for its Library, Singapore. He is the lead curator papers even had the word “Advertiser” striking print advertisements. Image reproduced of “Selling Dreams: Early Advertising in boldly proclaimed on their mastheads. In Singapore has a rich advertising heri- from Malaya: The Journal of the Association of Singapore” exhibition. Singapore, we had The Singapore Free tage that dates as far back as the early British Malaya, April 1936, p. 294. 02 03 BIBLIOASIA JUL – SEP 2018 Vol. 14 / Issue 02 / Feature The first advertisements placed by Singapore’s thriving advertising and “APB” (The Advertising & Publicity among its clientele major corporations advertising agents in Singapore appeared business before World War II was domi- Bureau Ltd) would often be inserted and import houses in Singapore and around the 1910s. In the Who’s Who in nated by a few prominent ad agencies unobtrusively into the advertisements. Malaya as well as associates in London Malaya published in 1918, publisher headed by Europeans, some of which These traces left by pioneering agencies and New York.18 The agency’s success Dossett & Co. promoted itself as the ad were regional firms with headquarters serve as clues that aid historians in their was largely due to the consistently high- agent for the major local Chinese paper, in Hong Kong or Shanghai. There were study of Singapore’s early advertising quality and creative works it produced.19 Lat Pau.7 In return for a fee, ad agents at least 20 such firms specialising in scene and its key players. Warin recruited professional talents from helped clients create and place advertise- advertising, publicity and marketing in The booming market and demand overseas, among whom was the Russian- ments in newspapers – a service likely Singapore and Malaya at the time.10 for advertising in major Asian cities in born artist Vladimir Tretchikoff, who later welcomed by European merchants who Most of these agencies were set up turn fuelled the business of some of found international fame for his painting were eager to market their products to the between the late 1920s and 30s. Some of these early agencies. The Advertising Chinese Girl.20 large Chinese community in Singapore. them actively advertised their services in & Publicity Bureau (APB) was the first Before relocating to Singapore, Similar advertisements were pro- magazines and periodicals targeted at the regional agency to set up shop in Singa- Tretchikoff had been a successful com- duced by J.R. Flynn Anderson, an “adver- business community. It was a common pore in 1931. It was established in Hong mercial artist in Shanghai working for tiser” who offered “new ideas in advertis- practice then for ad agencies to “sign Kong in 1922 by Englishwoman Beatrice Mercury Press, a prominent publisher ing”8 and “Advertisement Writer” Siow off” advertisements they produced with Thompson to serve the advertising needs of an English newspaper.21 Many of Choon Leng, who claimed that investing the company’s name or initials: “signa- of its British and American clients in Warin’s eye-catching advertisements – in good advertising would yield significant tures” such as “Master’s” (Masters Ltd), Asia.11 By 1940, APB was servicing many inspired by the Art Deco movement – were rewards for businesses.9 “Warins” (Warin Publicity Services Ltd) household brands and prominent firms, designed by Tretchikoff. claiming to be the “largest advertising 12 agency in the Far East”. The Chinese Influence Millington Ltd – one of the “Big Four” advertising agencies in Shanghai and With the pre-war advertising scene domi- founded by Briton F.C. Millington in 1920s nated by Western expatriates, Chinese ad – set up its Singapore branch in 1937 practitioners carved a name for them- after having established a Hong Kong selves by serving the advertising needs office earlier.13 There were also agencies of Chinese-speaking clients. Some were started in Singapore that later became fine arts painters who practised commer- well known, one of which was Masters cial art on the side by creating artworks Ltd, founded in 1928 by Australian-born for advertisements. One of these was Ernst George Mozar, whose works can the prominent Chinese artist Zhang often be seen in early publications. Ruqi (张汝器), who trained in Shanghai and France, and moved to Singapore in Warin Publicity Services: 1927. Renowned for his comic art and The First Local Agency caricatures, Zhang founded a commer- cial art studio and created illustrations Among the first homegrown ad agencies for advertisements such as Tiger Balm.22 in Singapore, one stood out for its vibrant Local Chinese printers also pro- and attractive print advertisements. The duced advertisements in the distinctive name “Warins” typically appears at the “picture calendar” (yue fen pai; 月份 corner of many beautifully illustrated 牌) style which originated in Shanghai. advertisements found in premium pub- These featured beautiful women dressed lications such as the 1930s issues of in form-fittingcheongsam (or qipao), The Straits Times Annual, a periodical Western attire and even swimsuits, on Malayan and Singaporean life and and were highly popular in China and in culture, published by Straits Times Press overseas Chinese communities, includ- between 1905 and 1982. ing Singapore. Warin Publicity Services was 14 founded by Briton William Joseph Warin. Post-war Developments W.J. Warin first arrived in Malaya in 1915 as a rubber planter.15 After his plantation With the outbreak of World War II, the business was hit by the Great Depression, business of most ad agencies came to Warin reinvented himself as a commercial a grinding halt. Many advertising prac- artist and set up his advertising firm, titioners resumed their trade after the Warin Studios, in a room on Orchard Japanese Occupation ended in September 16 Road in 1932. His business flourished (Top row) Art Deco-style advertisements attributed to Vladimir Tretchikoff, a Russian émigré com- 1945.