Tempel van Bhoga Nandeeshwara in Nandi, India 1865

This albumen silver print of the Tempel van Bhoga Nandeeshwara was taken by Henry Dixon, circa 1860-1890. Dixon worked as a photographer for the British Government of Mysore. This image offers a glimpse into the complex dynamics of colonial India. On the one hand, it documents an ancient sacred space, but it also reveals the power dynamics inherent in colonial documentation. Consider the role of photography itself: as a tool of empire it documented and classified colonized lands and people. What does it mean for a British officer to photograph an Indian temple? The two figures in the image seem dwarfed by the scale of the temple, which perhaps speaks to the relative place of the Indian people in their homeland, at the time the photo was taken. Ultimately, this photograph encapsulates a moment of cultural exchange, shaped by the gaze and intentions of the colonizer.