The invention of Carte de Visites and Cabinet Cards made photography affordable and accessible to the masses—and this changed the very nature of the beast. Through Sarmaya’s priceless collection, we present a history of portable portraits
‘Futtypore Sikri’ is a highly Anglicised spelling of Agra’s Fatehpur Sikri. It was founded as the capital of Mughal Empire in 1571 by Akbar and served in this role from 1571 to 1585. Fatehpur is Persian for ‘city of victory’ and Sikri comes from the name of the village that occupied this spot before Akbar gave… Read more »
The Kingdom of Cochin came into existence around the sixth century AD. According to tradition, Kochi’s first king was Vir Kerala Varma, a title held by the Rajas of Cochin even till in the early 20th century. This is an official portrait of Raja Varma, Rajarshi of Cochin who succeeded the throne in October 1895.… Read more »
Inscription Recto “Bourne 1351. THE MOTEE MUSJID. DELHI.1351”. This is an image of the Moti Masjid situated inside the Red Fort in Delhi. It was built by Aurangzeb and served as his private mosque, the entre structure is built of marble with inlays in black stone. The photograph shows the front of the mosque including… Read more »
Samuel Bourne’s Himalayan expedition was an arduous one as he pursued photography and documented the untouvhed landscapes and sights in India. This photograph from the 1860s shows the giant or King fern, flora typical to this region.
This photograph of the Wanga Valley by Samuel Bourne captured in 1863 showing the Himlayan glaciers. During his three Himalayan expeditions, Bourne photo documented landscapes in compoistions and artistic styles that appealed to the Victorian notions of the ‘picturesque’ and unusual landscapes such as this image formed a category in itself.
Photograph of a glacier in Kashmir taken by Samuel Bourne in 1863. During his three Himalayan expeditions, Bourne photo documented landscapes in compoistions and artistic styles that appealed to the Victorian notions of the ‘picturesque’ and unusual landscapes such as this image formed a category in itself.
This photograph was taken by Samuel Bourne of the distinctive huts of a Toda Mund (village) at Ootacamund in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu. Traditionally pastoralist, the Todas in the past lived in thatched houses spread over the slopes of the Nilgiris. This picture is one of many examples of ethnographic photographs captured at… Read more »