Officers of Elephant Battery, Jhansi (recto); Men of Elephant Battery, Jhansi (verso)
1884
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1884
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see two sides of one photograph: one shows British officers in crisp uniforms, the other shows Indian soldiers in loose tunics, all standing in front of a cannon. This was taken in Jhansi, a city tied to the 1857 rebellion. The photographer, Raja Deen Dayal, was one of the first Indian court photographers, working for both British rulers and Indian royalty. He shot these men with the same respect—no fancy backdrops, just the plain truth of their service. If you want to see more of his work, look up Raja Deen Dayal (Indian, 1844–1905).
