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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Arrangement
  • Scope and Contents of the Collection
  • Processing History
  • Acquisition Information
  • Publication Rights
  • Access
  • Biographical/Historical Note
  • Preferred Citation
  • Digitized Material

  • Contributing Institution: Special Collections
    Title: Indian portrait album
    Creator: Chintamon, Hurrychund
    Creator: Hormusjee, Shapoorjee
    Creator: Jamsetjee, Rustomjee
    Creator: P. Vuccino & Co.
    Creator: Bourne & Shepherd
    Creator: Vussuntrao Hurrychund & Co.
    Identifier/Call Number: 2011.R.17
    Physical Description: 1 album(s)(133 photographic prints)
    Date: 1880
    Abstract : The album contains 122 carte-de-visite and 11 cabinet card portraits of Indian sitters and related subjects by various photographers including: Bourne & Shepherd; John Burke; Hurrychund Chintamon; Photographie Parisienne, Bombay; Shapoorjee Hormusjee; Vussuntrao Hurrychund & Co.; Rustomjee Jamsetjee; David Sykes; and P. Vuccino & Co.
    Physical Location: Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record  for this collection. Click here for the access policy .
    Language of Material: Collection material is in English.

    Arrangement

    In original order.

    Scope and Contents of the Collection

    The album presented to the Honorable M. Mowat from H. H. J. contains 122 carte-de-visite and 11 cabinet card portraits of Indian sitters and related subjects by various photographers. The album may have been compiled by a member of the Jeejeebhoy family, whose portraits predominate at the beginning of the album.
    The portraits are arranged in groups identified by religion such as: Parsee gentlemen; Hindoo gentlemen; Mahomedan gentlemen; Parsee ladies; Hindoo ladies; Hindoo songstresses; and Hindoo mythological idols. Portraits of Parsees predominate, although Hindus and Muslims are also well-represented. Many of the sitters, who include maharajas, officials, and members of prominent families, are identified by name. Others, including some of the family groups, are identified only by ethno-religious denominators. Images of unnamed tradespersons are also interspersed in the album. Some of the portraits and religious images are photographic reproductions of paintings; there are also photographs of sculptures.
    While the makers of the majority of the photographs are as yet unidentified as the card slots obscure most of the photographers' imprints, the following photographers or studios have been identified: Bourne & Shepherd; John Burke; Hurrychund Chintamon; Photographie Parisienne, Bombay; Shapoorjee Hormusjee; Vussuntrao Hurrychund & Co.; Rustomjee Jamsetjee; David Sykes; and P. Vuccino & Co.
    The album is bound in brown morocco leather with a partial brass clasp remaining on the foredge of the front cover. The intials M. M. are gilt stamped on the front cover. An embroidered inscription inserted in the first opening reads: To / the Hon'ble / M. Mowat / from H. H. J. / Bombay / 14th May 1880. A binder's ticket pasted on back free endpaper reads: W. Butcher and Son / Blackheath / London S.E.
    The category headings and individual sitter identifications written in brown ink on many of the mounts have been used as page titles and titles of individual photographs respectively. The titles for pages and photographs lacking annotations have been devised by the cataloger. The photographs are cartes-de-visite (four per page), unless noted as being cabinet cards.

    Processing History

    The finding aid was written by Beth Ann Guynn in 2012 and updated by her in 2020.

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired in 2011.

    Publication Rights

    Access

    Open for use by qualified researchers.

    Biographical/Historical Note

    The album may have been compiled by a member of the Jeejeebhoy family, whose portraits predominate at the beginning of the album.

    Preferred Citation

    Indian portrait album, circa 1880, The Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 2012.R.14

    Digitized Material

    The collection was digitized by the repository in 2013 and the images are available online:
    http://hdl.handle.net/10020/2011r17

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Occupations -- India
    Muslims -- Portraits
    India -- Description and travel
    Parsees -- Portraits
    Studio portraits -- India -- 19th century
    Albumen prints -- Greece -- 19th century
    Group portraits -- India -- 19th century
    Cartes-de-visite -- India -- 19th century
    Cabinet cards -- India -- 19th century
    Photograph albums -- India -- 19th century
    Petit point -- India -- 19th century
    Hindus -- Portraits
    Hindu gods
    Copy prints -- India -- 19th century
    Sykes, David Harold