Landhuis Dilkusha Kothi in Lucknow 1864 - 1866

Editor: So, this is "Landhuis Dilkusha Kothi in Lucknow," a photograph taken by Samuel Bourne sometime between 1864 and 1866. It’s an albumen print. I find it fascinating how the stark monochrome palette lends such gravity to the scene, even to the foliage, given the weight of what the image carries. What stands out to you, looking at it? Curator: Immediately, I’m drawn to the process of producing an albumen print in 1860s India. Consider the logistical effort! Bourne, hauling equipment, chemicals, and glass plates across continents to document a colonial landscape. He's participating in the social and economic structures of that period through this technology. Do you see how the very materiality of the photograph becomes a testament to British colonial enterprise? Editor: Yes, the colonial enterprise angle is starting to surface for me, though at first sight I found the image more evocative of architectural aesthetics. What sort of labor would've been required for this undertaking? Curator: Exactly! The processing of the albumen itself—egg whites painstakingly prepared, coated onto paper, sensitized. It speaks to the resources and labour channeled into visually appropriating the Indian landscape. This is not just a picturesque view, but a manufactured gaze dependent on specific materials and manpower from multiple colonial channels. Editor: That shifts my perspective quite a bit. Initially, I saw the photograph as a beautiful record. Now I understand the historical backdrop better, knowing about its material implications during that era. It's truly interesting to rethink the dynamics embedded within it. Curator: Indeed, examining the art and processes this way allows us to understand artmaking beyond conventional aesthetics, by diving deeply into aspects related to production and social dynamics.