Marukhel village and the Saféd Koh before 1895

This is Frederick Saint John Gore’s photogravure titled “Marukhel village and the Saféd Koh.” Consider the gaze of the colonial administrator, Gore, as it intersects with the landscape and the people who inhabit it. Gore, working in British India during the late 19th century, captures not just a scene, but a power dynamic. The photogravure technique, with its tonal range, lends a sense of romanticism. However, this aesthetic appeal can obscure the underlying realities of colonial rule. The village and the mountains become part of a visual inventory, surveyed and documented by the colonizer. How do we reconcile the beauty of the landscape with the history of imperial exploitation and cultural disruption? This image invites us to reflect on the complexities of representation and the politics of seeing. It is a reminder of the intricate relationships between observer and observed, power and perception.