Mowhri Rahman Alli Khan family, Rewa (recto, bottom)
1884
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1884
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a family sitting stiffly in front of a patterned curtain—father in a turban, mother in a sari, three kids in embroidered clothes. This isn’t a painting; it’s an old photograph. Raja Deen Dayal was one of the first Indian photographers hired by British officials and Indian royalty. The stiff poses and careful props were meant to show status, not just faces. To see more photos like this, look up the subject: India.
