Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

The People of India A Series of Photographic Illustrations, with Descriptive Letterpress, of the Races and Tribes of Hindustan

Summary

Collection ID:
FSA.A1990.03
Creators:
Watson, J. Forbes (John Forbes), 1827-1892.
Kaye, John William, Sir, 1814-1876
Dates:
1868
London, C. Whiting Beaufort House, Strand, 1868-1875
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
8 Items
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Photographers represented include J.C.A. Dannenberg, R.H. DeMontmorency, E. Godfrey, W.W. Hooper, H.C. McDonald, J. Mulheran, G. Richter, Shepherd & Robertson (later as Bourne & Shepherd), B. Simpson, B.W. Switzer, H.C.B. Tanner, C.C. Taylor, and J. Waterhouse.
Scope and Contents
Taken in the 1850s and 1860s, these photographs portray the people of many castes, culture groups, and occupations in India, posed individually and in groups. Indian culture groups portrayed include Bhogta, Bhoti, Chero, Dombo, Gond, Gujarati, Ho, Kachari, Kishangarh, Kota, Lepcha, Mishmi, Munda, Naga, Pahari, Paithan, Rajput, Saora, Singpho, Thakur, Tharu, and Toda. Peoples portrayed are from parts of India and surrounding areas, now in Afghanistan, Burma, Iran and Pakistan, such as Assam, Bareli, Behat, Cachar, Chittagong, Delhi, Hazara, Hisar, Kohat, Lahore, Madras, Munjpur, Mysore, Palamau, Shahabad, Shahjahanpur, Sikkim, and Sind.
Scope and Contents
Occupations illustrated include barbers, blacksmiths, carpenters, charcoal carriers, farmers, fish vendors, horse dealers, interpreters, landlords, mendicants, merchants, officials, priests, warriors, and water carriers. Activities shown include dancing and knitting. Artifacts and material culture documented include books, buildings, devotional objects, tools, and weapons such as bows, clubs, shields, guns and spears.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is composed of 8 bound volumes with 470 albumen photoprints mounted alongside text. Photographs are arranged by region, with culture group and region, some also with name and occupation of subjects.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
John Forbes Watson and John William Kaye assembled this ethnologic study collection from photographs made by British photographers in India. The collection documents the caste and culture groups of India for a British India Office multi-volume publication. A graduate of Aberdeen University in England, John Forbes Watson (1827-1892) served as an assistant surgeon in the Bombay Medical Services from 1850 to 1853. While in India, Watson began to research Indian agricultural resources. In 1858, he became reporter on the products of India for the India Office in England. A year later, he became director of the India Office's India Museum, devoted to promoting trade in the British Empire. While there, he published several monographs on Indian plants and textiles. In 1867, he was appointed keeper of the museum, and served in that capacity until he retired in 1879.
Biographical / Historical
John William Kaye (1814-1876) was secretary of the India Office's Political and Secret Department.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase 1990 A1990.3

Digital Content

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Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Citation
The People of India. FSA.A1990.03. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Purchase.

More Information

Local Numbers

Local Numbers
FSA A1990.03


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
India Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Afghanistan Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Burma Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pakistan Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Iran Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Assam (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cachar (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chittagong (Bangladesh) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Delhi (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hazara District (Pakistan) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hisar (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kohat District (Pakistan) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lahore (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Madras (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mysore (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Palamu (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shahabad (India : District) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shahjahanpur (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sikkim (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sind (India) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bhotia (Sherpa) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dom (South Asian people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gond (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Gujaratis (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kachari (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kota (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lepcha Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mishmi (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Munda (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Naga (Indonesian people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Korwa (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rajput (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Savara (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Thakuri (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tharu Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Toda (Indic people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
National Museum of Asian Art Archives
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