Question 1 :
John Charles DeWitt before his demise specifically mentioned that he
employed an 'amah' (ie. maid or nanny) to look after the children when they
were young. In the photograph collection of John Charles DeWitt 1, could the
old woman seated in the center of the photo in the Malay traditional dress
(ie. 'Baju Kebaya') holding the baby be actually the family's 'amah' instead
of the mother of John Charles DeWitt?
Answer 1 :
Personally I tend to disagree that the old woman in the 'Baju Kebaya' was
the family's 'amah'. My hypothesis is based on the following arguments :
i. 'Amah' which actually means 'mother' in Tamil was
the popular call name for a maid of the Indian race. If the maid was Chinese,
then she would probably be called 'Ah Soh' or something similar. Therefore,
since John Charles specifically referred to the maid as 'Amah', then it would
be quite sure that she was Indian. To me, the lady in the photo looks very
Eurasian and also Indian women those days were not known to dress in a 'Baju
Kebaya', but rather in a 'sari' or a working dress;
ii. The age of the old lady is not right. She looks rather
too old to be a maid or nanny to look after the young children;
iii. Notice that the old lady is rather well dressed.
She has 2 visible gold 'kerosang' or brooch on the her 'Baju Kebaya'. I believe
this shows that she probably came from a reasonably well to do family;
iv. In the photo, if the old lady was the maid or nanny,
she would not be sitting down on such a comfortable long chair while the parents
of the child remain standing. I believe this shows that she was somebody who
the parents of the child held high regards to;
v. In the picture I used for the Home Page of the Web
Site, is an unidentified Indian lady standing at the back holding a baby (Helen
Pearly DeWitt) and I believe that she is the Indian lady in question who is
the 'amah' who used to look after the children.
Dennis Dewitt
Question 2 :
Isn't it strange that a lady of European descent (Dutch or Portuguese Eurasian)
should be dressed in a Malay traditional dress (ie. 'Baju Kebaya')?
Answer 2 :
It was actually quite common and fashionable for ladies in that era
to dress in that manner, with their 'sarong' and 'baju kebaya'. (In Melaka,
the older generation of Eurasian ladies still do dress in this manner.) In
fact, when the English first took over Melaka from the Dutch, they noticed
much to their surprise that the Dutch ladies of Melaka were dressed like the
local women.
After the British took over Melaka by force from the Dutch in 1795, Commodore
Peter Rainier, Commander-in-chief of the British forces in the East arrived
in Melaka and a dinner was held in his honour at the residence of the Dutch
Governor of Melaka, Abraham Couperus. Captain W.C. Lennon, who was among those
present, noted in his journal the following:
"There was a large company and not bad a dinner, allowing for Dutch
cookery - of which I have not the most delicate idea. Madam Couperus was dressed
in the most unbecoming manner possible, a mixture between the Malay and the
Portuguese. Her outward garment being made exactly like a shift, she looked
as if she reversed the order of her dress altogether. Her hair was drawn so
tight to the crown of her head, and the skin of her forehead so stretched,
that she could scarce wink her eyelids. She seemed, however, very affable
and well-bred for a person never out of Malacca. In the evening she played
the harp, a plain instrument without pedals and only capable of a natural
key, made in Batavia. She was accompanied by some of her slaves on violins,
and altogether made very good music for a Dutchman to sleep to. She chewed
betel incessantly, as did the other ladies in company, and every chair in
the room was furnished with a cuspidor to spit in; for while the ladies chewed
and played, the Dutchman smoked their long pipes and drank klein beer, which
is some of the best malt liquor I ever tasted."
Dennis Dewitt
Question 3 :
In the 2nd photo of the photograph collection in John Charles DeWitt
1, isn't the child that is seated between the parents is in a girl's dress?
Therefore, shouldn't the child be Beatrice Ruby DeWitt instead of Joseph Louis
DeWitt?
Answer 3 :
At this moment, I am unable to verify this and it warrants further
investigation. I hope other family members who visit this Web Site may be
able to provide an answer this question. However, I wish to point out that
even though the child seems to be in a girl's dress, the child may be actually
wearing a gown. It was not uncommon for parents in those days to dress their
very young this way when taking photos and in fact the English still sometimes
do. Another interesting questions is if the child in the photo is Beatrice
Ruby DeWitt, then why was Joseph Louis DeWitt not included in the family portrait?
Dennis Dewitt
"I smiled at the piece about the boy in a girl's frock
and wanted to send you a pic of my two uncles (born 1910 and 1911 respectively)
with the youngest in similar attire. Couldn't find it again.... It was quite
common in Friesland, up to the 1930's, to dress little boys like that. Especially
for formal occasions such as having a picture taken (and to make potty training
less of a hassle, we assume!) When they could be relied on to stay dry (again
our own interpretation), on came the little sailor suit! "
Gerda Pieterse
(South Africa)
Participate
with us.
Anybody who wish to participate by either putting forward any questions
regarding any of the photographs in the collection or to any other related
issue, or for those who wish to attempt to answer or further elaborate the
answers given to the above questions, you are welcomed and encouraged to do
so. If you are attempting to answer or further elaborate the answers given
above, please remember to identify in your correspondence to us the question
or topic that you are referring to.
You may forward your contributions directly to us by E-Mail.
Thank you for participating and please make sure you revisit the
Web Site for new updates.
