Portrait of Sagramji, Thakur Sahib of Gondal, Kathiawar District

Full-length seated portrait of Sagramji, Thakur Sahib of Gondal, taken by Bourne and Shepherd in the1860s, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections. Gondal was a princely state in the Kathiawar District, a peninsular of Gujarat in northwest India, ruled by Sagramji from 1851 until 1869. The portrait of Sagrami in R.H. Jalbhoy, 'The portrait gallery of Western India' (Bombay, 1886), pl. 13, is a lithograph based on this photograph. Bourne and Shepherd was established in Simla in 1865 before branches were established in Calcutta and Bombay. It became one of the largest and most long lasting photographic firms in India.

Read More

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.

Read More