BSR VIRTUAL EXHIBITIONS

Ashby rose early on 23 September and set out to explore the vibrant streets of Colombo with his camera. He took eight photographs in the Fort district and Pettah, three of these are illustrated here. Image 1 depicts a gang of workmen labouring in the tropical heat. Image 2 is a snapshot of a bustling high street in the local quarter. Here, a vendor carrying a branch of bananas on his head is walking away from Ashby. Meanwhile, on the right, a messenger in a white suit is waiting with his bicycle. 
That afternoon, Ashby took his last photograph at the Walvendaal Church (image 3). Dating c. 1749, the exterior walls of the Dutch colonial building are embedded with tombstones, some of them predating its construction. In this photograph, Ashby had captured three tombstones with inscriptions dating back to 1664, 1668 and 1719. The tombstone to the right is a poignant reminder of the past. It commemorates the lives of three sisters, Constantia (8 years), Andriana Henrietta (6 years) and Bitterina Moll (5 years), who all tragically died within three weeks (16 April to 7 May 1719). Whilst the cause of their untimely deaths is not mentioned, throughout history, port cities like Colombo struggled with the bubonic plague. Indeed, it was so frequent that The Times of Ceylon published a daily tally of the latest outbreak. During Ashby's visit, the count was at 33 infections and rising.

All photographs by Thomas Ashby, BSR, Thomas Ashby Collection 
Gang of workmen, Colombo, 1914, TA-XLVII.021  
Pettah street scene, Colombo, 1914, TA-XLVII.015
Wolvendaal Church, Colombo, 1914, TA-XLVII.022
Article: 'The Plague', The Times of Ceylon (25 September 1914). 17. 
Article: W.M. Phillip and L.F. Hirst (1917) 'A report on the Outbreak of the Plague in Colombo 1914-1916', The Journal of Hygiene 15.4: 527-564.  
Book: J.P. Lewis (1913) List of inscriptions on tombstones and monuments in Ceylon, of historical or local interest, with an obituary of persons uncommemorated, Colombo. 103-104 and 107.