Marwaree Brokers 1870s

"Marwaree Brokers" is a photograph by Francis Frith. Frith was one of the first British commercial photographers to extensively document the Middle East and India. This image captures three brokers in what was then British India. Given the period, it's impossible to ignore the colonial context in which this photograph was taken. Frith’s work, while seemingly documentary, was influenced by British expectations and the desire for exotic images of the Empire's holdings. The men are adorned in traditional clothing and turbans, but their occupation as brokers suggests their entanglement with the economic systems introduced by British rule. How do we read this image today? It's a document of a specific time, but also a reminder of the complex exchanges and power dynamics inherent in colonial photography. It invites us to reflect on whose stories are told, and how they are framed.