Artwork

One of twenty-one drawings of various types of indigenous conveyance in Poona showing side view and section.

One of twenty-one drawings of various types of indigenous conveyance in Poona showing side view and section. is a drawing by the Impressionist artist Unknown. It dates from 1870 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This drawing is one of a set of twenty‑one sketches that document local modes of transport in Poona.

About this work

Overview

This drawing is one of a set of twenty‑one sketches that document local modes of transport in Poona. Executed in a side‑profile and sectional format, it records a figure propelling a single‑wheel wooden barrow loaded with stones. The composition rests against a uniform light‑brown ground, emphasizing the functional simplicity of the scene.

Subject & Meaning

The figure, dressed in a loincloth and a modest head covering, represents an everyday laborer engaged in moving heavy material. The detailed rendering of each stone in the barrow underscores the physical effort involved, offering a visual study of indigenous work practices rather than an idealized narrative.

Technique & Style

Rendered with precise line work, the drawing balances contour and interior detail to convey texture, particularly in the wooden wheel and the individual rocks. The side‑view and sectional approach provides a clear mechanical understanding of the conveyance, reflecting a utilitarian aesthetic common to ethnographic illustration of the period.

History & Provenance

Created as part of a systematic series cataloguing Poona’s native transport methods, the work likely served a documentary purpose for scholars or colonial administrators. Its association with a broader collection of twenty‑one similar drawings situates it within a concerted effort to record regional material culture in the 19th‑century visual record.