Portret van twee onbekende Gowli mannen uit Berar 1862

James Mulheran made this photographic portrait of two Gowli men from Berar using a darkroom, glass plates, and chemical solutions. Photography was still a relatively new technology in this period, and it offered Europeans a means to document and classify colonized populations, ostensibly with scientific accuracy. Yet, a photograph is not a neutral document; it's a constructed image. Consider how the sitters have been posed in this image. The two men, identified as Hindu cowherds, are arranged symmetrically within an oval frame. Though their bodies are partly covered, their torsos are exposed, emphasizing their physiques. This manner of representation exoticizes the subjects, reinforcing the idea of the "other" for a Western audience. The very act of taking their photograph, processing it, and then reproducing it as a carte-de-visite involves labor, consumption, and a complex power dynamic. The photograph’s apparent simplicity belies the many layers of social and political meaning embedded in the work.