In the gallery of Sigiri 1896

This photograph, “In the gallery of Sigiri” was taken by Henry William Cave, a British author and photographer, in the late 19th or early 20th century. Cave's images, made during British colonial rule in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, offer a glimpse into the visual culture of the time. The photo depicts a pathway carved into the side of a rock face, leading to the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya. The scale is important, as the figures in the gallery appear small against the massive rock face, emphasizing the power and grandeur of the natural landscape. It reflects the colonial gaze of the time, a European artist capturing an exotic landscape and its people for Western audiences. To fully understand this image, we must consider the history of British colonialism in Ceylon, the development of photography as a tool for documentation and exploration, and the cultural exchange that occurred between colonizers and the colonized. Research into colonial archives, travelogues, and photographic collections would shed further light on this image and its place in the broader history of art and empire.