[View of Chowringhee from Government House, Calcutta] 1858 - 1861

John Constantine Stanley captured this photograph, "View of Chowringhee from Government House, Calcutta," using a photographic process sometime in the 1800s. The sepia tones create a visual experience dominated by gradations of light and shadow that give structure to the entire composition. Notice the prominent archway in the foreground, framed by a monumental tower and a distant building. The photograph is structured around a dialectic between near and far, presence and distance. This formal arrangement creates a visual hierarchy that invites us to reflect on space and power. The photograph invites questions about colonial space, representation, and the gaze. The visual order reflects the socio-political order of the time. Yet, as viewers, we should resist any fixed interpretation, instead focusing on the structures through which this photograph conveys meaning.