Zuilengalerij van de Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra-moskee in Ajmer 1872 - 1873

Editor: Here we have an albumen print from between 1872 and 1873, depicting the colonnade of the Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra mosque in Ajmer. I find the sheer number of columns really striking – they almost seem to disappear into the distance. How do you interpret this image? Curator: This photograph offers a potent intersection of architectural documentation and orientalist perspective. Consider how Colin Murray, the photographer, presents this mosque. It isn’t just a building, but an image framed within a broader European fascination with the East. Notice how the image is sepia toned? Editor: Yes, the almost monochromatic scale contributes to a sense of distance, both temporal and geographical. Curator: Precisely. And this distance, enabled by the then-novel medium of photography, served to construct a specific narrative about Islamic architecture within a colonial context. What do you think that narrative might be? Editor: Perhaps one that emphasizes its perceived 'exoticism' and difference, potentially reinforcing colonial power structures. By visually capturing and disseminating images like this, the West was effectively staking a claim, visually, over the East. Curator: Exactly! Think about how images like these shaped public opinion and justified colonial interventions. It's crucial to understand the political implications inherent in seemingly objective documentation. Also, are we seeing a ruin in the picture, or are we seeing the beginning of a great building? This is the power of photography: to pose questions without resolving them. Editor: It’s interesting to think about how the act of photographing architecture can be as loaded as painting a portrait of a ruler. Curator: Indeed. It shows how seemingly straightforward images are imbued with power dynamics, and how their reception contributes to the ongoing politics of representation. Editor: I never thought about landscape photography in this way before. This makes me reconsider what is communicated beyond the subject. Curator: And that is exactly the kind of critical thinking art history hopes to provoke.