Untitled
1884
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1884
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This is a black-and-white photograph of a group of Indian men in turbans and loose robes standing in a courtyard. Some hold swords, others rest their hands on their hips. It’s not a posed studio shot—these men seem caught mid-conversation, as if the photographer just stepped into the scene. The image comes from an album made for a British official in the 1880s, a time when cameras were rare in India. The photos were meant as souvenirs, but they also show daily life under colonial rule. To see more of this kind of work, look up Raja Deen Dayal (Indian, 1844–1905).
