Portret van een onbekende Bhogta man uit Chota Nagpur before 1868

This is a portrait of an unknown Bhogta man from Chota Nagpur, made by Benjamin Simpson in the 19th century using photographic techniques. Photography in the 1800s was a laborious process, involving chemical baths, glass plates, and long exposure times. It was also expensive, so this portrait suggests a degree of colonial power dynamics at play. Note the sitter's dress, a combination of local garments and what appears to be a Western-style shirt. This subtle detail speaks volumes about cultural exchange under colonial rule, with traditional craftsmanship meeting industrial production. The photograph also documents the sitter’s bodily features, which, when seen in the context of emerging scientific racism, suggests photography’s involvement in the dehumanization of subjugated communities. Consider the labor involved in creating this image, from mining the materials for photographic chemicals to the physical act of posing the sitter. Recognizing these aspects, we gain a deeper understanding of the complex social and cultural context that shaped the artwork and the relationship between the artist and his subject.