Artwork Page for Sir Auckland Colvin and Family, Shimla

Details / Information for Sir Auckland Colvin and Family, Shimla

Sir Auckland Colvin and Family, Shimla

1887

Raja Deen Dayal

(Indian, 1844–1905)
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Culture
India
Medium
albumen print
Measurements
Image: 20 x 26.9 cm (7 7/8 x 10 9/16 in.); Paper: 20 x 26.9 cm (7 7/8 x 10 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2016.266.8
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Deen Dayal’s large glass plate negatives and view camera required daylight to capture people without a blur, so his large group portraits are usually set before the sitters’ homes in their gardens. The equipment also dictated that scenes be carefully posed, not candid, shots. Sir Auckland Colvin (1838–1908) and his daughters were photographed in 1887, the year he became lieutenant governor of North-Western Provinces, a position his father had once held. The sitters are arranged so they orbit two framed photographs displayed on a table, presumably depictions of Colvin’s deceased wife and son. Thanks to photography, the entire Colvin family was reunited.
A horizontally oriented albumen print depicts Sir Auckland Colvin and three women with light skin tones on a patterned rug. On our left, Colvin sits in a wicker chair. In the background center, a woman stands behind a table with her hand on her hip. Another woman sits in the center foreground. On our right, the third woman reclines against a cushion while holding papers. Dense vines and potted plants fill the background.

Sir Auckland Colvin and Family, Shimla

1887

Raja Deen Dayal

(Indian, 1844–1905)
India

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