Wall of conquest in the parlour of royal palaces was where the show of strength took place. This was where visiting royalty were shown the size of tigers, boars and deers that the royal family had hunted alongwith the stories of these conquests. Also displayed were portraits of royalty in their elements who too were accompanied by illustrious tales of pride and valour. The photographers\painters had to ensure that the portraits looked as good as the stories that were told about them. This collection of portraits dating between 1900 and 1930 will be a part of the exhibition by Tasveer Arts called Vintage Photographs of the Maharajas.
Most of these portraits are by known photographers, such as Jehangir Sorabji and K.L Syed. Some have also been shot by overseas photographers and studios, such as Vernon & Co., Johnston & Hoffman and Van Dyk, London. Though not many of these were “court photographers”, but Abhishek Poddar of Tasveer Arts tells us that the careers of many of them centred around photographing high society individuals and royalty. “For instance, K.L. Syed’s father was the hakim of the royal family. In the 1900s Syed came in contact with the then Nawab Shri Taley Mohammed Khan, who was suitably impressed with the photographs Syed took of his family. Soon Syed began accompanying the Nawab on all his trips, and eventually became the official photographer of Palanpur State.”
These portraits were partly for documentation, partly for sharing and partly for vanity and were often signed and given to members of the sitters' extended families.
Tasveer put the collection together over time from private individuals, galleries, dealers and auction houses. And the gallery that is well-known for its contemporary photography, is showcasing historic work for a change. It had a lot to do with the sudden spurt in the number of people interested in photography, with almost everyone involved in photography — be it on their camera phones, point-and-shoot digital cameras or professional SLRs. “We wanted to show this new, technology savvy crowd of enthusiasts something about the history of photography, and also something about the history of the country too,” says Abhishek.
On at Gallery Art Motif,
F-213 C, Lado Sarai, from September 25 to October 6.