Artwork Page for Sinhalese Man

Details / Information for Sinhalese Man

Sinhalese Man

c. 1880s

Scowen & Co.

(British, active Ceylon, 1876–1895)

or Skeen & Co.

(British, active 1860–1920)
Culture
India, 19th century
Medium
albumen print
Measurements
Image: 14.1 x 9.1 cm (5 9/16 x 3 9/16 in.); Paper: 14.1 x 9.4 cm (5 9/16 x 3 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the Karl B. Goldfield Trust 2018.221
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

Formally posed in a studio in profile, rather like a specimen, the image is more likely an anthropological study than a commissioned portrait.

Description

The gentleman sports a Western jacket and shirt, but his distinctive hairstyle identifies him as Sinhalese, a people originally from northern India who now form the majority of the population of Sri Lanka.
A vertically oriented albumen print depicts the profile of a Sinhalese man with medium-dark skin tone and a full, dark beard. Two combs adorn his wavy hair: a thin, curved band on top and a large, notched, fan-shaped comb at the back. Gazing leftward, he wears a light shirt and dark jacket. The warm sepia tones emphasize the fine textures of his hair and beard against a dark background.

Sinhalese Man

c. 1880s

Scowen & Co., Skeen & Co.

(British, active Ceylon, 1876–1895), (British, active 1860–1920)
India, 19th century

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