Part 6/16:
The early 19th-century trend of natural history fascination was instrumental in documenting the island’s flora and fauna. Artists like William Farer created detailed drawings of non-native plants such as pepper, cocoa, and pineapple, many of which were cultivated in Singapore’s experimental gardens. These gardens, established by Sir Stamford Raffles and Nathaniel Wallich, aimed to test whether foreign crops could adapt to Singapore’s climate.