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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Full-length seated portrait of a man of the Bhatia caste, Bombay.

This studio portrait of a man of the Bhatia caste, Mumbai was taken by Hurrichund Chintamon and shown at 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. These photographs were part of a survey to gather information about the people and monuments of India. Material was submitted by both professional and amateur photographers. Ethnographical prints were also produced by large photographic firms and temporary studios in India to meet European demands for souvenirs from the East and in response the rising interest in ethnography.

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