India. Calcutta. Harrison Road I with Group of Jogees, after photo by Dr. Kurt Boeck

1900

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

India. Calcutta. Harrison Road I with Group of Jogees, after photo by Dr. Kurt Boeck is a 1900 by Photoglob Co., a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Photoglob Co.
When & what style?: 1900 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a busy street in old Calcutta, with a group of men in bright orange robes standing near tall iron poles. This photo was hand-colored in Switzerland, but the printers got the colors wrong—the men’s robes should be saffron, not orange. The men are Jogees, part of a Hindu group that once lived by begging and yoga. Their way of life was already fading when this was taken. To see more photos like this, look up subject: india, 19th century.

The story of this work

Overview

The light poles in the image suggest the photo was taken after that event. The Jogees or Jogis are a rapidly shrinking caste that began as a community of people who practiced yoga and worshipped the Hindu god Shiva. Many earn their living as religious beggars. They traditionally wear saffron-colored clothing, but the printers in Switzerland who added the color to this image did not know that.