Vue du Temple Protestant - Valliant 1852

Vue du Temple Protestant à Sincapour (View of the Protestant Church in Singapore)
Artist: Barthélemy Lauvergne (sketched in 1837), lithographed by Louis Pierre Alphonse Bichebois and Victor Adam
Published in: Paris by Arthus Bertrand
Year: 1845–1852 (Based on an 1837 visit)
From: Voyage Autour du Monde... sur la corvette La Bonite (Album Historique) 

A Rare Visual Record of Pre-Cathedral Singapore
This celebrated lithograph is one of the earliest and most accurate visual records of colonial Singapore's civic center. It depicts the original St. Andrew’s Church (seen on the far right), designed by G.D. Coleman. Completed in 1836, this first iteration of the church lacked the iconic spire of the modern cathedral, which was only added later before the entire building was replaced in 1861. 

Historical and Architectural Significance
The print offers a panoramic view across the Padang (then a plain square) toward Government Hill (now Fort Canning Hill). Key features include: 

• Government House: The first colonial residence built for the Governor is visible atop the hill, overlooking the burgeoning settlement.
• The Bonite Expedition: Lauvergne sketched this scene during the brief one-week stay of the French corvette La Bonite in February 1837. It was later published in the expedition's massive multi-volume scientific account under the command of Auguste-Nicolas Vaillant.
• Early Settlement Life: The foreground is animated with detailed figures of locals and Europeans, capturing the multicultural atmosphere of Singapore just 18 years after its founding. 
  

This lithograph is highly prized by Singaporean collectors as it is one of only a few professional artistic renderings produced during the island's formative first two decades.