Gezicht op graftombes van Nederlanders in Ahmedabad before 1866

This photograph of Dutch tombs in Ahmedabad, made by Thomas Biggs, speaks volumes about the act of image-making itself. Photography was still a relatively new technology at the time this image was made, and was seen as a means of documentation, rather than a creative practice. Here, the colonial gaze is literalized. Biggs has traveled to India, trained his lens, and exposed a photographic plate. Consider the chemistry involved, and the labor required for each step: preparing the light-sensitive emulsion, carefully timing the exposure, and developing the negative. Each stage demanded precision and skill, not unlike the work of a silversmith or cabinetmaker. The photograph is not just a window onto the world, it is an object made with intention, a tangible representation of the photographer’s perspective. By appreciating the image as a crafted artifact, we recognize the power dynamics inherent in its creation and consumption. It’s a potent reminder that seeing is never a neutral act.