Nautch Girls, Bombay

late 19th century

This is a studio portrait of unidentified Natuch girls by Edward Taurines.

Edward Taurines was one of the early European photographers to ply his trade in Bombay, and he ran a commercial studio in the city for nearly two decades. Of the presidencies, Bombay was the most active centre for the medium; the Bombay Photographic Society, established in 1854, was the first official Indian body dedicated to photography. In another decade or so, studios like Edward Taurines’ started springing up on the busiest streets of South Bombay, capturing its architecture, landscape, trade and industry, and its locals. The Taurines studio, situated on Medows Street (today’s Nagindas Master Road), specialised in photos that presented the city’s public life to a western audience.

To read more on early photography in Bombay (Mumbai), click here.

Title
Nautch Girls, Bombay
Period
late 19th century
Photographer
Edward Taurines
Accession No.
2019.47.2 (46)