Gezicht op de Karbala Talkatora in Lucknow before 1874

Editor: This albumen print, “Gezicht op de Karbala Talkatora in Lucknow” by Darogha Ubbas Alli, likely created before 1874, depicts what seems to be an Islamic mausoleum, quiet and isolated. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, on the surface it is just a beautiful photograph; however, it also signifies a period of immense social and political upheaval in India under British colonial rule. These photographs, commissioned and collected by the British, need to be investigated carefully, considering power dynamics and questions of representation. Who is doing the documenting and what narratives are they constructing? Editor: So the artist, Darogha Ubbas Alli, was perhaps documenting for the British? Curator: Perhaps, but what does it mean that a local artist documented local architecture? How was this process influenced and mediated by colonial expectations? What does this work tell us about identity, representation, and the power structures in play at the time? Look at how carefully this monument is photographed – centered and still. Editor: It seems devoid of people, creating a very formal, even sterile impression. Curator: Exactly. What do you make of the absence of people in this shot? Who is being erased and who is being centered? Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way. This photograph is now making me question the way I think about who tells the story. Curator: It's about engaging with art beyond just aesthetics and seeing it as a product and a reflection of complex historical and social forces. Always look beneath the surface.