Untitled (irrigation system with a denkli) c. 1860 - 1880

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Willoughby Wallace Hooper, depicting an irrigation system with a denkli. It is housed in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The sepia tones lend a timeless quality, but there’s also a starkness to the scene, particularly in the skeletal trees. Curator: Hooper was documenting life in India under British rule, and this image offers insights into agricultural practices and labor. The denkli, a lever system for drawing water, is central. How might that resonate today? Editor: The denkli acts as a symbol of ingenuity but also perhaps of the manual labor required to sustain life here. Water, such a potent symbol of life and purification in many cultures, is literally being drawn up by human effort. Curator: This image reveals the resourcefulness of local populations in the face of environmental challenges, while we must also consider how colonial policies might have affected their access to resources and autonomy. Editor: The composition directs our attention to the human figure operating the device, emphasizing this connection between human action, ritual, and the land. I'm left contemplating continuity and change.