“Warisan Kertas”
Exhibition and Sale of Maps, Prints, Books and Travel Ephemera illustrating the history of Malaya, North Borneo and Malaysia, 1890s – 1970s
22 to 27 June 2009
Badan Warisan Malaysia, No 2 Jalan Stonor, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
From 22 to 27 June, Badan Warisan Malaysia will be hosting an exhibition and sale of maps, prints, books and travel ephemera collected by Mr Johan Nicholson.
“I am very pleased to cooperate with Badan Warisan on this exhibition of material primarily about Malaya including Singapore,” says Nicholson, “though there are also some items on the Netherlands East Indies, Siam and South East Asia generally.”
Johan Nicholson came to work in Kuala Lumpur to work in 1968, carrying with him a childhood obsession with collecting things. On his retirement he felt the need to keep busy and decided to turn his hobby into a business.
“The material I have collected is not that old,” Nicholson explains, “partly because old material is so expensive, but also because I find it difficult to ‘touch’ such old material, if you understand what I mean.”
What are his criteria for collecting? “Any item I bought almost always had to be cheap,” he says. “It had to be interesting and somehow had to connect the present to the past better than the way dry academic books do. You can judge for yourself if I was successful! As it is a collection mainly about Malaya, I hope it sheds light into some little known corners, which are part of Malaysia's heritage.”
One item on display which he believes is very rare is Sketches of Kwala Lumpur by R.D. Jackson which consists of ten ink drawings from the 1910s. “I was privileged that the distinguished historian of Malaya and Malaysia, John Gullick, agreed to write notes on the drawings. I have taken photos of the same scenes, where possible, to show the contrasts.”
The map material dates from the 1890s (including a map of Malaya whose spelling looks decidedly odd) up to the 1980s – with a large map of the Proposed Trans Asia Highway with Interregional Links, ESCAP and Bridgestone, marked 'not for sale', but here for sale!
There are delightful engravings of Borneo, made from the sketches of Midshipman Marryat dated 1848, some of the earliest sketches of Kuching, Brunei and Kinabalu Bay.
Books vary from Malay for Mems (nostalgic indeed!) and an almost mint condition 1946 Gardening in Malaya, to the Raub Town Council's Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Souvenir and a Penang Information Guide of December 1937 which was originally given away free to tourists.
The fascinating travel ephemera includes a pamphlet from 1968 advertising Langkawi which reveals the total number of hotel rooms on the island was 29 – yes 29!
Exhibition Hours
Mondays to Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays
Talk: Malayan and Malaysian Life Illuminated through period adverts, 1920s to 1960s by Johan Nicholson
11.00 a.m. Saturday 27 June 2009
In conjunction with the exhibition and sale, Johan Nicholson will be giving a talk on the subject of Malaysian Life as revealed through advertisements
“I find the old adverts in books and similar sources quite fascinating,” says Nicholson, “for example the advertisements for firms that have gone forever, firms that we still know well, firms that were about to make the big time. The variety of sources is wide – directories, travel guides, magazines, etc. I am happy to be able to give a talk on the subject, illustrated with many pictures from the 1920s to the 1960s.”
Please call to reserve your seats 03 – 2144 9273 (Yuana)
Badan Warisan Malaysia
Badan Warisan Malaysia (BWM) is the leading national heritage NGO with a reputation for excellence in heritage conservation services spanning more than 25 years.
We work throughout Malaysia, cooperating with community groups, institutions, the private sector and all levels of Government to promote the conservation and preservation of our historic buildings and places. We play a pivotal role in advocacy through a range of activities including heritage education, and we initiate research and documentation of our heritage assets and contribute at international, national and local levels to debates on the quality of our built environment.
BWM is a registered charity, and completely independent of government.
Over the years, BWM has developed expertise covering the whole spectrum of the conservation process. Drawing on our membership, we are well equipped to offer a comprehensive range of services in such areas as urban design and planning, architecture, real estate, education, tourism, design and communication, cultural and creative industries and environment and ecology.
Since 1985, BWM has undertaken various building conservation projects including the restoration of Gedung Raja Abdullah (Selangor), Istana Tengku Long (Terengganu), Rumah Bomoh (Perak), Rumah Kutai (Perak), No 2 Jalan Stonor (Kuala Lumpur), No 8 Heeren Street (Malacca) and most recently, Stadium Merdeka (Kuala Lumpur). Many of these projects have won accolades and awards locally and internationally.
In addition, for the past 13 years, BWM has been enhancing its skills in the management of heritage sites. Combined with our involvement in cultural heritage tourism and the development of heritage walks and tours, this puts us in a unique position to provide integrated and sustainable management of heritage sites in Malaysia.
Badan Warisan Malaysia
(The Heritage of Malaysia Trust)
No 2 Jalan Stonor
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Tel: 60 (0)3 – 2144 9273
Fax: 60 (0)3 – 2145 7884
E-mail: heritage@badanwarisan.org.my
Website: www.badanwarisan.org.my
