Twee zittende mannen en een jongen met een waaier daarachter c. 1892

A.G.E. Newland created this photograph of three men in India, sometime around the late 19th century. It's titled, "Two Seated Men and a Boy with a Fan Behind." Through posing, costume, and prop, the image constructs meaning, but what meanings might those be? The setting and subjects suggest a carefully staged scene, rather than a candid shot of everyday life. The fan, clothing, and the subjects themselves refer to the visual vocabulary of colonial India. What social dynamics are at play, and how might they influence the relationship between the photographer and his subjects? To answer these questions, a historian might seek out archival materials and written records from institutions such as the Photographic Society of India, as well as looking at social and cultural histories of colonial India. The point is that art is not created in a vacuum.