The entrance bridge to City, Hyderabad - Ancient Photos

Photograph of the entrance bridge to the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of HH the Nizam's Dominions, Hyderabad, Deccan, 1892'. This view was taken by Lala Deen Dayal (1844-1905) in the 1880s. Dayal took up photography in the 1870s and in 1884 became official photographer to the Nizam of Hyderabad, with studios in Secunderabad and Indore. Hyderabad was founded beside the River Musi in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (r.1580-1612) as an alternative to his capital at Golconda. Later, Hyderabad became the capital of the Nizams of Hyderabad, who ruled over one of the largest states in India from 1724 to 1948. The dynasty was founded by Nizam al-Mulk, entitled Asaf Jah (d. 1748) who had arrived in the Deccan as the Mughal governor before declaring his independence. During their time in power the Nizams constructed many buildings of architectural importance.

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Colossal rock-cut figures of Jain tirthankaras, Gwalior

Photograph of rock-cut figures of Jain tirthankaras in Gwalior, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections: India Office Series (volume 33), taken by George Edward Herne in 1869. Large sculptures of Jain 'tirthankharas' or saviours, dating between the 7th and the 15th centuries, are cut into the rocks along the steep sides of the road leading up to the Urwahi Gate of Gwalior Fort on the western side of the plateau. This view shows part of a group of 22 standing tirthankaras of up to nineteen metres in height set into deeply carved recesses. This range of sculptures dates from between 1400 to 1453.

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Portrait of a young South Indian woman, Madras

Photograph of a young South Indian woman in Madras, shown at the1867 Paris exhibition, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections. It is one of a series of photographs commissioned by the Government of India in the late 19th century in an attempt to gather information about the tribes, races and castes of the sub-continent. Material was submitted by professional and amateur photographers working in studios and in the field. This photograph was attributed to the Madras School of Industrial Arts, established in 1850, an important training centre for photographers in the area.

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Close view of carved marble surround from the asana or throne of a Jain temple image, Dabhoi

Photograph of a marble carving from the asana or throne of a Jain temple image at Dabhoi in Gujarat, taken for the Archaeological Survey of India in the 1870s. Dabhoi is an ancient town that was fortified by the Solanki Rajputs in the 12th century. It contains an old fort built by the Vaghela king of Patan, or Anhilvada. This view shows a part of a marble carving with elephants and lions and a Jain seated figure.

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Gopura of the Srirunganatha Temple in the Fort at Shrirangapattana [Seringapatam].

Photograph of the Srirunganatha Swami Temple in Seringapatam, Karnataka, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections: India Office Series, taken by Henry Dixon in the 1860s. Seringapatam, a small town near Mysore, is an island fortress surrounded by the Kaveri River that was ruled by a succession of courts, the most prominent of which was Haidar Ali (r. 1761-1782) and his son Tipu Sultan (r. 1782-1799). This temple predates those rulers as the majority of it was built at the end of 9th century. This photograph is a general view of the gopura of the Temple.

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The Jumma Musjia, or Grand Mosque at Ahmedabad

Plate seventy-six from the third volume of James Forbes'"Oriental Memoirs". The city of Ahmadabad was founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah who also built the Jami Masjid, or the main congregational mosque. It 'stands in the middle of the city adorned by two lofty minarets, elegantly proportioned and richly decorated: each minaret contains a circular flight of steps leading to a gallery near the summit'. To Forbes it was a wonderful example of an architecture where 'grandeur and simplicity unite, and fills the mind with reverential awe.'

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Unidentified group, Rajasthan

Photograph of an unidentified group in northern India, taken by Eugene Clutterbuck Impey in the early 1860s, from the Archaeological Survey of India. This is a studio portrait of four men, possibly from Rajasthan, in northern India. Capt. E.C.Impey (1830-1904), of the Bengal Staff Corps was appointed to photograph the areas of Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan. Impey was the Military Secretary to the Viceroy, Lord Lawrence, in 1863-4 before becoming Political Agent in Jodhpur, Udaipur and Gwalior. After photography was introduced into India in the 1840s it rapidly grew in popularity, particularly as a means to record the vast diversity of people and their dress, manners, trades, customs and religions. Ethnographical prints were produced by large photographic firms operating in India as well as by smaller or temporary studios to meet European demands for souvenirs from the East.

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Mistri Moolchand, watchmaker and mechanic to the Maharaja of Benares (Varanasi)

Photograph of Mistri Moolchand and his son at their house at Varanasi (Benares) in Uttar Pradesh from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections: India Office Series (Volume 46), taken by Brajo Gopal Bromochary in c.1870. Mistri Moolchand and his son are seated at a low worktable in the foreground, with other craftsmen at work in the background. Photographs like this one were exhibited at European exhibitions to demonstrate teaching methods in India. This image is inscribed, "Taken by the photographer in the service of H. Highness the Maharaja of Benares. Private School of Art...After exhibition to be placed at the disposal of the Secy. of State for India." The Imperial Gazetteer of India, describing this type of instruction, states: "Under the native industrial system the child learns his hereditary craft from his father or is apprenticed to a mistri, or master-craftsman, who is often a relative of the pupil...The child begins his work at a very early age; at first he is expected to undertake the menial duties of the shop, and is put to cleaning the tools; later he begins to perform the simplest operations of the trade. There is little definite instruction, but the boy gradually acquires skill by handling the tools and watching the workmen at their task. As soon as he has made a little progress, the apprentice is granted a small wage which is gradually increased as he becomes more useful; and when his training is finished, he either goes out into the world or secures a place on the permanent roll of his master's shop."

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Full-length studio portrait of the son of H.H. Chunnasee Rajoonath Pant

Portrait of the son of H.H. Chunnasee Rajoonath Pant by Bourne and Shepherd in the late 1860s, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections. The youth in this photograph is holding a sword, leaning a against a banister rail beside a sculptural ornament of a horse and archer. The photographic firm Bourne and Shepherd began in Simla in the 1860s before branches were established in Calcutta and Bombay. Simla was the most important of the hill-stations in both social and political terms, and was therefore a strategic place to work as a photographer.

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Studio portrait of a group of Muslim men, Bombay

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 commissioned by the Government of India in the late 19th century. The Indian photographer Hurrichund Chintamon began one of the oldest photographic firms in Bombay (1858-81). He made a notable contribution to the book, 'The People of India'. Indian Museum, London, 1868-75.

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Studio portrait of an Parsee woman and child, Bombay

Studio portrait of a woman standing and a child seated on European style chair taken at Mumbai, India. This photograph is from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections and was exhibited in the 1867 Paris Exhibition. This image was probably by William Johnson despite the crediting of the image to Hurrichund Chintamon. The Parsees, or Parsis, are descendants of Persians who fled to India in the seventh and eighth centuries to escape Muslim persecution. Their communities are concentrated in Maharashtra and Gujarat states, especially in Bombay. The Parsis are Zorastrian, often described as fire-worshippers. However, they do not worship fire, instead they revere many aspects of nature as manifestations of the divinity of Ahura Mazdah.

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Studio portrait of three Shenoy Bhatias, Bombay

Full-length portrait of three seated Shenoy Bhatias in Mumbai, posed against a painted backdrop, taken by Hurrichund Chintamon c. 1867. This photograph is part of the Archaeological Survey of India Collections and was on show in the Paris exhibition of 1867. After photography was introduced into India in the 1840s it rapidly grew in popularity, particularly as a means to record the vast diversity of people and their dress, manners, trades, customs and religions. Ethnographical prints were produced by large photographic firms operating in India as well as by smaller or temporary studios to meet European demands for souvenirs from the East. Chintamon had the oldest firm in Bombay.

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Studio portrait of a large Parsee family group, Bombay

Group of 13 men, women and children, posed in front of a backdrop taken by Hurrichund Chintamon c. 1867 at Mumbai, India. This photograph is from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections and was in show in the 1867 Paris Exhibition. The Parsees, or Parsis, are descendants of Persians who fled to India in the seventh and eighth centuries to escape Muslim persecution. Their communities are concentrated in Maharashtra and Gujarat states, especially in Bombay. The Parsis are Zoroastrian, often described as fire-worshippers. However, they do not worship fire, instead they revere many aspects of nature as manifestations of the divinity of Ahura Mazdah.

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Studio portrait of chiefs from Kathiawar, Gujarat

Large group portrait of chiefs from Kathiawar, by an unknown photographer, c. 1870, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections. Kaithawar is the peninsular of Gujarat (India) which juts out into the Arabian Sea, between the Gulf of Kachchh and the Gulf of Khambat. In the 19th century ethnographical prints were produced by large photographic firms operating in India as well as by smaller or temporary studios to meet European demands for souvenirs from the East. Figures were often posed to display their characteristic attributes and artefacts.

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East end of wall used as a water cistern, Madras

Photograph of the east end of a wall used as a water cistern in Madras, taken by a photographer of the Archaeological Survey of India on 1st March 1902. Madras was established by the East India Company in 1639 as a trading post. In 1644 a small fort was erected and the city became the centre of the British presence in India. By 1690 the fort became a major city complex with 300,000 people. The European settlement remained inside the fort while the Black Town was outside the walls although in the 18th century many beautiful colonial houses with gardens started to be built outside the fort. Fort St George is situated north of the town on the seashore and was gradually transformed into a formidable structure. In 1694 the original Fort House was demolished to build a new one and in 1711 the inner Fort walls and corner bastions were pulled down to create Fort Square.

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Sari weaving, Western India

Photograph of sari weaving at Maharashtra in Western India, taken by Shivashankar Narayan in c. 1873, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections. This image, is probably one of the series of views showing the processes of the manufacture of cotton fabrics shown at the Vienna Exhibition of 1873. The weaver sits on the verandah of a house with his legs in a type of hole which contains the lower portion of the machinery which he works with a pedal at his feet. The combs are supported by ropes attached to beams in the roof. In his right hand the weaver holds the shuttle, which contains the thread which passes through the spaces created by the combs, forming the pattern. The principal comb is held in the left hand.

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Indian chatty (pottery) shop 4928

Photograph of an Indian chatty (pottery) shop in India, taken by an unknown photographer in c. 1873, from the Archaeological Survey of India. This view of a shop-front, with earthenware pots piled high against the wall, is probably a print from an International Exhibition. The kumhar (potter) makes unglazed terracotta or earthenware pots for the storage of grain, spices or pickles, and for transporting and storing water. The potter also makes bricks and tiles for housing. Vessels for eating and drinking are usually made of metal or glass. However, small disposable drinking vessels, that are used once and then thrown away, are made of terracotta.

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Interior view of the Free Church of Scotland Mission School, Nagpur

Photograph of the interior of the Free Church of Scotland Mission School at Nagpur in Maharashtra from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections: India Office Series (Volume 46), taken by an unknown photographer in c. 1870. Alexander Duff, the first Free Church of Scotland missionary appointed to India, arrived in the country in 1830. Mission schools were important in India, particularly for the education of girls and women, and for those who were at the lower end of the caste system. The Imperial Gazetteer of India states, "Much assistance has been given to the cause of female education by mission schools and mission classes for home teaching. The promotion of education among children of the lowest castes, both male and female, is a matter of peculiar difficulty...[quoting Baines 'Report on Material and Moral Progress of India' (1891)] 'Special schools are therefore maintained where the excluded classes are of numerical importance and a great deal has been done in this way by Christian missionaries, who, especially in Madras, have made a special point of raising the status of what are conventionally, though, incorrectly, termed the outcast population.'...[regarding industrial schools] A few of the most important are managed by Government, some have been established by missionary societies or private benefactors. Many of the mission and private schools are aided by grants from public funds awarded on the results of industrial tests."

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General view of a Torana arch or Kirttistambha, Kapadvanj

Photograph of a richly-carved archway at Kapadvanj in Gujarat, taken by a photographer of the Archaeological Survey of India in the 1870s.Toranas are gateways, usually of stone, marking the entrance to a Buddhist shrine or a Hindu temple. The one in this view consists of two pillars and a transverse architrave. The whole torana is covered of extremely elaborate sculpture.

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Women gathering cowdung, Ahmadabad

Photograph of women gathering cowdung at Ahmadabad in Gujarat, taken by Shivashanker Narayen in c. 1870, from the Archaeological Survey of India. Narayen contributed to the book 'The People of India', published by the India Museum in 1868-75. After photography was introduced into India in the 1840s it rapidly grew in popularity, particularly as a means to record the vast diversity of people and their dress, manners, trades, customs and religions. Cow dung is collected and made into flat round 'patties' which are dried on walls and roofs and then sold as fuel and used extensively on cooking fires and for heating. It has many other uses, including fertiliser and as a flooring material when mixed with mud and water.

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