The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 21, 2024

Fancy Group, Indore II

Fancy Group, Indore II

1886
(Indian, 1844–1905)
India
albumen print
Image: 11.7 x 18.9 cm (4 5/8 x 7 7/16 in.); Paper: 11.7 x 18.9 cm (4 5/8 x 7 7/16 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2016.266.35
Location: not on view

Description

Entertainments at “fancy dress” or costume parties often included amateur theatricals or tableaux vivants—static scenes drawn from literature, history, or artworks. Here, Deen Dayal captured three moments distilled from a popular novel or play. The guests—all middle or upper class—perform as characters ranging from the working class to ladies and gentlemen. Because the photographic technology of the time required strong daylight, the photographs would have been made on a separate occasion, not at the party.
  • 1887 or 1888
    Studio of Raja Deen Dayal, sold to commissioner (identity unknown)
    1970s–2015
    Walter Clode [1929–2022], Pershore, England, sold or consigned to Prahlad Bubbar Indian and Islamic Art, London, England
    2015–16
    (Prahlad Bubbar Indian and Islamic Art, London, England), sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    December 5, 2016–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Raja Deen Dayal: The King of Indian Photographers. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 23, 2023-February 4, 2024).
  • {{cite web|title=Fancy Group, Indore II|url=false|author=Raja Deen Dayal|year=1886|access-date=21 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.266.35