Untitled (two merchants and their wares) c. 1860 - 1880

Curator: This is Willoughby Wallace Hooper's photograph, titled "Untitled (two merchants and their wares)." It is a work from around the late 19th century, held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The sepia tones lend such gravity to the scene. It feels almost like a tableau vivant, carefully arranged with the textiles and wares creating a complex geometry. Curator: Hooper, as a colonial officer, was documenting Indian life, but also shaping a narrative for a British audience. Note the carefully posed figures, almost ethnographic in their presentation. Editor: Precisely, there is a definite contrast. The standing figure with the draped textile creates a strong vertical axis, while the seated merchant anchors the composition with his gaze and spread of merchandise. Curator: The photograph participated in a broader project of cataloging and understanding India during British rule, where images were instruments of power, meant to classify and study the colonized. Editor: I find it fascinating how Hooper uses light to pick out details in the textiles, drawing the eye into the patterns while retaining overall tonal harmony. Curator: Absolutely, and looking at the piece in our present moment, we can see how photography during the Raj can function as both a record and a form of colonial agenda. Editor: Indeed, and by looking at the interplay of shapes and tones, we can begin to understand how these forces shaped the image’s aesthetic impact.