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Old photos of Singapore

41 photographs of Singapore, from 1880 to 2025 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Singapore? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 41 photographs of Singapore on PlaceWas span 6 decades, from 1880 to 2025. 17 of them were taken before 1980; the other 24 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.7 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.38 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Singapore through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

EU: View of main road (1890), Singapore — photos through time
EU: View of main road (1890) 11 photos · 1890
Changi Point, Singapore — photos through time
Changi Point 5 photos · 2009
EU: View of New Harbour Dock. (1890), Singapore — photos through time
EU: View of New Harbour Dock. (1890) 3 photos · 1890
Marigold Mews residential estate, Singapore — photos through time
Marigold Mews residential estate 3 photos · 2022
Remains of Divine Bridge leading to Synonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore, 1, Singapore — photos through time
Remains of Divine Bridge leading to Synonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore, 1 3 photos · 2022
Ramps for wheelchair accessibility at Thomson Plaza, Singapore — photos through time
Ramps for wheelchair accessibility at Thomson Plaza 3 photos · 2022
Changi village - coastal track to point, Singapore — photos through time
Changi village - coastal track to point 2 photos · 2012–2018

Stories from Singapore

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

EU: Malaysia: a fort at Tanjong Katong, Singapore. Photograph by J. Taylor, (1880), Singapore, 1880
EU: Malaysia: a fort at Tanjong Katong, Singapore. Photograph by J. Taylor, (1880) 1880 Photographer J. Taylor captured this coastal fort at Tanjong Katong on Singapore's eastern shoreline in 1880. Small forts like this formed part of the island's coastal defences under British colonial administration.
EU: Panoramic view of Tanjong Pagar from the west (1890), Singapore, 1890
EU: Panoramic view of Tanjong Pagar from the west (1890) 1890 A wide view over Tanjong Pagar as seen from the west in 1890, when the district was becoming Singapore's principal harbour area under the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company, formed in 1864 to develop deep-water docks along the…
EU: View of Pulo Brani tin smelting works (1890), Singapore, 1890
EU: View of Pulo Brani tin smelting works (1890) 1890 Tin smelting works on the island of Pulo Brani, just off Singapore's southern coast, are shown in this 1890 photograph; the island served as a processing site for tin ore brought from mines on the Malay Peninsula.
Remains of Divine Bridge leading to Synonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore, Singapore, 2022
Remains of Divine Bridge leading to Synonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore 2022 Remains near the site of the Divine Bridge leading to Syonan Jinja, photographed by MacRitchie Reservoir in Singapore in July 2022. The shrine was built by Japanese occupying forces during the Second World War and…
Remains of Divine Bridge leading to Synonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore, Singapore, 2022
Remains of Divine Bridge leading to Synonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore 2022 Remains of a bridge leading to the former Syonan Jinja shrine at MacRitchie Reservoir in Singapore, photographed in 2022. The Shinto shrine was built during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in the Second World War…
Remains of Divine Bridge leading to Synonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore, Singapore, 2022
Remains of Divine Bridge leading to Synonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore 2022 Further remains near the former Divine Bridge to Syonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore, photographed in July 2022. The wartime Shinto shrine's ruins are among the few physical traces of the Japanese occupation…
Soo Chow Rise with Thomson View condominium in background, Singapore, 2022
Soo Chow Rise with Thomson View condominium in background 2022 Soo Chow Rise is a residential street in Singapore's northern precincts, and this photograph from July 2022 frames it against the Thomson View condominium complex rising in the background, a scene typical of the…
Soo Chow Garden Road looking down the hill towards Upper Thomson Road, Singapore, 2022
Soo Chow Garden Road looking down the hill towards Upper Thomson Road 2022 A view along Soo Chow Garden Road, looking down the hill toward Upper Thomson Road in Singapore, photographed in July 2022. The area sits within one of Singapore's older residential districts north of the city centre.
1880s · 1 photo
1890s · 15 photos
1900s · 1 photo
2000s · 6 photos
2010s · 4 photos
2020s · 14 photos · showing 12, all 14 on the map ↗