Portret van Khaddir Bukhsh, een landeigenaar in Sindh before 1872

Henry Charles Baskerville Tanner captured this albumen print of Khaddir Bukhsh, a landowner in Sindh, sometime during his work in India in the late 19th century. While Tanner’s work included landscapes and architectural studies, this portrait raises important questions about the representation of individuals within the colonial context of British India. The very act of photographing Bukhsh, identifying him by name and profession, suggests a project of documentation and classification inherent to colonial power. Consider the power dynamics at play: a British photographer capturing the image of a local landowner, and how that image might have been used or circulated within colonial administrative structures. What role did photography play in shaping perceptions of Indian society and reinforcing colonial hierarchies? Understanding such historical images requires us to delve into archives, colonial records, and postcolonial studies to unpack the complex layers of meaning embedded within them.