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India photograph album
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The practice of photography by both Indian and British photographers spread throughout India in the later half of the nineteenth century. Many photographs from this period were made by photographers whose identities are unknown today, but two well known British examples were Samuel Bourne (1834-1912) and John P. Nicholas (circa 1830-1905). Both men began working independently, but eventually founded commercial studios. Bourne partnered with Charles Shepherd to open a studio in Shimla in 1863 and their business would expand to several more studios across India. John Nicholas was photographing and exhibiting around India prior to opening a studio in 1861 in Madras.
References:
Howells, Katherine. "Early photography in India: Tracing photographers through copyright records," blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/early-photography-in-india-tracing-photographers-through-copyright-records/. Accessed on August 29, 2023.
UC Santa Barbara. "The Photographic Intervention," library.ucsb.edu/exhibitions/photographic-intervention. Accessed on August 29, 2023.
This bound album contains 69 black and white photographs of various scenes in India from the later half of the 19th century. It is unknown who compiled this album, but the album was probably created by a British person traveling through India. The bulk of the images are of historic structures, such as tombs, mosques, temples, palaces, forts and ruins, in the vicinity of Agra, Calcutta, Delhi, Lucknow, and Uttar Pradesh. None of the images have any descriptive text. Some of the photographs have been identified as the works of Samuel Bourse (1834-1912) or John P. Nichols (circa 1830-1905). The first page contains a print of the arms of the colleges, halls, etc. of Oxford produced by Thomas Shrimpton & Son.
The photographs appear to be albumen prints and are 8.5 by 11 inches in size.
Index of identified photographs:
Page 3 - Akbar's Tomb, in Sikandra, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Page 5 - Akbar's Tomb surrounding complex.
Page 7 - Tomb of I'timād-ud-Daulah, a Mughal mausoleum in the city of Agra in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Page 8 - Jahangiri Mahal or Agra's Red Fort, in the city of Agra, India.
Page 9 - The Alamgir Mosque or Aurangzeb's Mosque, is a mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Page 12 - The Rumi Darwaza, also known as the Turkish Gate, in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Page 17 - H.H. Maharaja Bhanwar Pal Deo Bahadur of Karauli state seated in the Darbar hall.
Page 18 - Ruin of Hindu pillars, Kootub temples, Delhi.
Page 20 - View of Chandni Chowk (market), Delhi, India. Ca. 1890s
Page 21 - The Qutb Minar complex at Mehrauli, Delhi, India.
Page 22 – Rajah Potia Temple, Benares (Varanasi), India
Page 23 – Red Fort Complex, interior, Delhi, India
Page 26 – British residency ruins, Lucknow, India
Page 27 - Akbar's Tomb, in Sikandra, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Page 28 - Purana Qila or Old Fort, Delhi, India.
Page 29 - The Tower of the wife of Sadaat Ally in the Kaiser Bragh Palace, Lucknow, India.
Page 32 – Bara Imambara or Asafi Imambara, a shrine complex in Lucknow, India.
Page 33 - The Tower of the wife of Sadaat Ally in the Kaiser Bragh Palace, Lucknow
Page 34 - Bara Imambara or Asafi Imambara, a shrine complex in Lucknow, India.
Page 35 - Bara Imambara or Asafi Imambara, a shrine complex in Lucknow, India.
Page 36 – Lucknow gateway, Lucknow, India.
Page 37 - The Chattar Manzil or Umbrella Palace on the banks of the Gomti River, Lucknow, India, albumen print, 1870s–1880s
Page 38 – Seven Pagodas of Mahabalipuram, the shore temple, India, by Nicholas and Co., circa 1880
Page 40 – Chitpore road, Calcutta, India
Page 42 – Clive street, Calcutta, India
Page 43 – Indian woman, portrait by Samuel Bourne.
Page 44 - The Kothi At Husainabad, Lucknow, India
Page 46 – High Court, Calcutta, India
Page 47 - The Jalsain Ghat, Benares (Varanasi), India, albumen print, 1865 by Samuel Bourne.
Page 48 – Secundrabad Gate, Lucknow, India
Page 49 – The Chattar Manzil or Umbrella Palace on the banks of the Gomti River, Lucknow, India, albumen print, 1870s–1880s
Page 52 – Dattatreya Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Page 53 - Interior of the Moti Masjid or Pearl Mosque, India, albumen print, 1860s by Samuel Bourne).
Page 56 - Nagardi Baradari, Lucknow, India.
Page 58 - Masjid-i-Jehan-Numa or the Jama Masjid, Delhi, India.
Page 60 - The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla, Delhi, India.
Page 62 - Gulab Bari or Garden of Roses, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Page 63 - The Tomb of Salim Chishti, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Page 72 – The Qutb Minar complex, Delhi, India.
Sotheby's, 2021
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Finding Aid Author
- Kenneth Cleary
- Finding Aid Date
- 2023 August 29
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.