The Great Elephant 1885 - 1900

"The Great Elephant" is a photo albumen print by Lala Deen Dayal, a prominent Indian photographer, taken between 1885 and 1900. It showcases a majestic elephant, adorned with a forehead marking and a rope around its chest, standing against a backdrop of trees. A small figure of a man, likely the elephant's mahout, stands beside the colossal animal, highlighting its scale and importance in Indian society. This photo albumen print, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, is an exemplary piece of 19th-century Indian photography.