Rare Photographs
 20 Jun 2012 Rare Photographs
Jain colossal figure, 65 feet high, at entrance to Gwalior Fortress - 1895

Photograph of a colossal Jain figure at entrance to the Gwalior Fort, in Madhya Pradesh, taken by an unknown photographer as part of the Elgin Collection: 'Autumn Tour 1895. Vol. I'. Large sculptures of Jain Tirthankharas... Read More
 20 Jun 2012 Rare Photographs
Colossal rock-cut sculpture of the Jain tirthankara Adinatha, Gwalior - 1883

Photograph of a rock-cut sculpture of the Jain tirthankara Adinatha, in Gwalior, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections, taken by Bourne and Shepherd in c.1883. Large sculptures of Jain Tirthankharas, or ... Read More
 6 Dec 2011 Rare Photographs
Muharram festival procession in Baroda - 1880

Photograph of a Muharram procession in Baroda (Vadodara) from the 'Album of portraits and views in Baroda' taken by an unknown photographer in c. 1880. The festival commemorates the popular saint Imam Husain, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and the s... Read More
 1 Jan 2011 Rare Photographs
The Manirung Pass, elevation 18,600 feet -1865

By the 1860s, commercial photography was becoming well-established in India and this growing market attracted the young Nottingham photographer Samuel Bourne to the subcontinent in 1863. During a residence of seven years, Bourne produced thousands... Read More
 28 Sep 2010 Rare Photographs
Madaria Faqir, Eastern Bengal - 1860

Half-length portrait of a Muslim ascetic against a plain background taken by an unknown photographer in the early 1860s. This dervish or 'faqir' was a member of the Madaria order of Sufis who followed the saint Shaikh Sayyid Badi-u'd-din Qutb al-Madar. Born... Read More
 25 Sep 2010 Rare Photographs
The great Pagoda at Tanjore with corridor on the northern side - 1869

Photograph of the Great Pagoda of the Brihadishvara Temple at Tanjore, taken by Samuel Bourne in 1869. The Brihadishvara Temple built by the Chola king Rajaraja around 1010, is a monumental temple standing in the middle of a... Read More
 15 Sep 2010 Rare Photographs
United Services Club, Bangalore - 1902.

Photograph of the United Services Club, Bangalore, from the Macnabb Collection (Col James Henry Erskine Reid): Album of Indian views, taken in 1902 . The United Services Bangalore Club (now called Bangalore Club) was established in 1868 for the exclusive... Read More
 2 Sep 2010 Rare Photographs
Studio portrait of a group of Muslim men, Bombay - 1867.

Portrait of five men and a boy from Mumbai, taken by Hurrichund Chintamon and shown in the 1867 Paris Exhibition. This photograph is from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections; one of a series of ethnographical photographs commi... Read More
 7 Jul 2010 Rare Photographs
Views in Mysore. The Daria Dowlut in Seringapatam. Frescoes on wall - 1868

Photograph from an album of 40 albumen prints by Edmund David Lyon. Karnataka has a long tradition of paintings used to decorate the walls of temples and palaces, although most surviving paintings date from the post-Vij... Read More
 11 Feb 2010 Rare Photographs
Bahadur Shah II, the ex-King of Delhi, May 1858.
By Robert Tytler and Charles Shepard
This rare portrait of Bahadur Shah, Emperor of Delhi from 1837-57, shows him in captivity in Delhi awaiting trial by the British for his support of the Uprising of 1857-58. It was, apparently, common practice ... Read More
 11 Feb 2010 Rare Photographs
Jhansi Fort - 1882.
Photograph of the Fort of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, from the Lee-Warner Collection: 'Scenes and Sculptures of Central India, Photographed by Lala Deen Diyal, Indore.', taken by Deen Dayal in 1882. The fort of Jhansi was built under the rule of Raja Bir Singh Deo (1605-27) of O... Read More
 7 Feb 2010 Rare Photographs
BANGALORE FORT was originally built by Kempe Gowda a feudatory of the Vijaynagar Empire and the founder of Bangalore as a mud fort . It was converted into a stone fort by Haider Ali in 1761.It was a stronghold of Tipu Sultan that was captured by army of the British East India Company led by Lord ... Read More
 7 Feb 2010 Rare Photographs
Merchants Offices, Madras - 1851.
Photograph of merchants’ offices at Madras, taken by Frederick Fiebig in c.1851. Madras lies on the Bay of Bengal and was founded in 1639 by the British East India Company. It was the first important English settlement in India and remained the centre of English... Read More
 7 Feb 2010 Rare Photographs
Black [George] town (European part), Madras - 1851.
Photograph of Black Town in Madras, taken by Frederick Fiebig in c.1851. Madras was founded in 1639 by the British East India Company and was the first important English settlement in India. Black Town was originally the old native quarter and ... Read More
 7 Feb 2010 Rare Photographs
Black [George] town, Madras.
Photograph of Black Town in Madras, taken by Frederick Fiebig in c.1851. Madras was founded in 1639 by the British East India Company and was the first important English settlement in India. Black Town was originally the old native quarter and grew up outside the wal... Read More