The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 20, 2024

Sir Auckland Colvin and Family, Simla

Sir Auckland Colvin and Family, Simla

1887
(Indian, 1844–1905)
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.)
Location: not on view

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.
  • 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=Sir Auckland Colvin and Family, Simla|url=false|author=Raja Deen Dayal|year=1887|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.266.8