Gaston Dutronquoy (ca. 1800–1872) arrived on Singapore’s shores in March 1839. His origins, however, remain shrouded in mystery. Some sources suggested that he was French, while others claim he hailed from Jersey, had Belgian roots, or could pass off as Dutch. Though a painter by profession, Dutronquoy dabbled in much more than painting. Interestingly, the photography services (daguerreotypes) he offered led him to be recognised as the first resident photographer in Singapore. The daguerreotype was an early photographic process that produced detailed images on silver-plated copper sheets without the use of a negative.

Dutronquoy arrived in Singapore as a painter by profession on March 1839. The island’s first daguerreotype photographic studio was established then. Within three months of his arrival, Dutronquoy successfully set up the London Hotel, establishing his position amongst Singapore's most prominent hoteliers. The hotel was initially situated within Commercial Square (now Raffles Place). In 1841, The London Hotel was eventually recognised as the most well-kept hotel in Singapore. It was later relocated to No.3 Coleman Street, closer to the Esplanade. With his keen interest in photography and desire to expand his business, Dutronquoy later converted one of the London Hotel’s rooms into the Theatre Royal—a space for amateur theatricals. By 1845, the London Hotel was equipped with restaurants, a photography studio, a theatre space, and a bowling alley along the back. It was the most spacious of the three hotels in business, and its grand design earned it the reputation of being “more like a “palace than an inn”.

A lesser known side to this businessman was his interest in the collection of fish specimens, and his contributions to the region’s natural history. In the early 1850s, Dutronquoy sent a collection of 102 fish specimens to Pieter Bleeker (1819–1878) in Batavia (now Jakarta)—a renowned ichthyologist and medical doctor who amassed a large collection of fishes from Southeast Asia. Bleeker served as a military surgeon in outposts in Java from 1847 to 1849. He later returned to Batavia and began encouraging his colleagues and other contacts across the archipelago to assist with the collection of fish specimens, Dutronquoy being one of them.

We can only speculate how Dutronquoy ended up in correspondence with Bleeker. Dutronquoy visited several countries across the East, including Batavia, where he may have encountered Bleeker or his colleagues. With Dutronquoy’s hotels being situated in prime locations, naturalists such as Alfred Russel Wallace and Theodore Edward Cantor may have stayed at the London Hotel during their visit to Singapore. It is possible that Dutronquoy may have been influenced by these notable guests, and developed an interest in natural history. There is also the possibility that Bleeker met Dutronquoy when he visited Singapore. Although the beginnings are uncertain, in 1851, Dutronquoy sent specimens to Bleeker, who was known to be the leading fish researcher in Southeast Asia.

Since 1854, Dutronquoy had been marked as “absent” in the ‘Singapore Almanack’—a directory that recorded Singapore’s government departments, officials, trades, professions and merchants. It was widely believed that he had disappeared along the Muar River while gold mining in Johor, with some speculating foul play. In 1868, however, he was listed as a foreign resident in Hankow, China and later recorded to have passed away in Kobe, Japan, with an obituary published in ‘The London and China Telegraph’ on 15 January 1872.

Despite these sources, the fate of Dutronquoy after the mid-1850s remains uncertain. Following his disappearance, his wife and son took over the management of the London Hotel until September 1857, where the estate was declared insolvent. The London hotel was subsequently acquired by a Frenchwoman, Madame Esperanza, and renamed Hotel l’Esperance. In 1865, it was again renamed to become the Hotel d’Europe under the ownership of a Frenchman named Casteleyns.

In 1872, an article from T’he London and China Telegraph’ reported that Dutronquoy had died of old age after having reportedly travel across East Asia. Though, it remains unclear whether this Dutronquoy was the same individual in question.

Over the years, the hotel underwent several name changes following each change in ownership and eventually ceased operations in 1932. The land was later acquired by the government and converted into the site where the former Supreme Court building was constructed. After World War II, the court moved to a new building, and the site was eventually converted into the National Gallery of Singapore, which opened in 2015.