History of photography in India
Political background
India in this feature refers to the Indian subcontinent, which is dominated in area by modern India, but also includes the nations of Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Partly because of the extent of this area, but largely because of its geo-political importance in the Victorian era, many photographers came to the subcontinent during this period, as well as the many indigenous photographers. This is the first of several features to look at some of them and their work.
Although the Portuguese were the first European nation to begin direct trading with India following the first successful voyage around the south of Africa in 1498 by Vasco da Gama, they were soon followed by the Dutch, French and British.
In the mid-eighteenth century, the British East India Company (often known as 'John Company') with its private army under Robert Clive had decisively beaten both the Dutch and the French and taken power in several states. Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington) to completed the takeover in later battles. By the nineteenth century, the rule of John Company virtually covered the sub-continent, with the Indian rulers subservient to company commercial interests while often still nominally in power.
The so-called Indian Mutiny of 1857/8 (increasingly known in India as the First War of Independence) showed the British government that the Company could no longer be trusted to run such a vast area. The uprising was accompanied by terrible massacres by both sides and was finally bloodily suppressed by British troops. The British government now realised it needed to rule India directly, setting up the India Office to do so in 1858, with Queen Victoria being installed as Empress of India in 1877.
Imperialist photography?
Much photography of India in the early years of the medium was inextricably tied to the colonial regime. Photographers who went to the region were mainly from Britain and many went as employees of either 'John Company' or the British government. Some photographed as amateurs, while others were actually employed to take photographs. The company actively encouraged it employees to photograph, especially to record archaeological sites, and photography became a key element of the 'Archaeological Survey of India', established in 1861 (following on from the activities of the 'Asiatic Society' dating from 1784) and still in existence.
Another aspect of colonialism was religious evangelism, with missionaries coming from Britain to bring Christianity to this land which already had its own religions deeply embedded in its culture. A number of the missionaries were keen and sometimes very competent amateur photographers.
Few westerners in India were not a part of the colonial presence, and it was the westerners who formed the major market for photography in India, as although they were a small minority of the population, they were largely those with the money to buy photographs. Many bought photographs to paste into albums, so as to make a visual record of their times in India, which they would take back to the home country at the end of their tour of duty.
The 'Indian Mutiny' in particular considerably raised public interest about India in Britain, creating an increased market for photographs here, and was thus a key event in the development of photography in the country - as well as a milestone in the struggle for independence. People who read stories in the newspapers about Delhi or Lucknow wanted to see what these places looked like, and wanted to see pictures of the Indians. Because of its importance in the development of photography in the area, there are links to several sources of information on the history of India, viewed from varied perspectives, in the box at top right.
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