In reference to the astounding development of Singapore, a popular phrase often used is “from swampy fishing village to shining metropolis.” To pay homage to Singapore’s humble beginning I have designed a simple T-shirt in white on black. The idea came as I was sitting in a coffeeshop watching the world go by. I did a quick sketch and put it away for a while. With time on my hands I got to taking the concept to finished art featuring a silhouette of a village on stllts with palm trees and a boat. Font used evokes the swashbucking spirit of the era.  It's now on Zazzle.com with the following descriptions: The “Singapore/1819” T-shirt The year is 1819. Overachiever Sir Stamford Raffles, an official of the East India Company scouting for a place to challenge the monopoly of the spice trade under the Dutch, stumbles upon a swampy village where islanders eke out an idyllic living fishing in the pristine waters. Raffles establishes a duty-free trading post that, under successive waves ...