“These evocative photographs reveal a world changed almost beyond recognition. Taking us on a journey around nineteenth-century India, they provide fascinating images of costume from everyday clothes to magnificent formal dress and jewellery, from humble homes to palaces, ancient temples and monuments, together with portraits of Indian royalty and nobility, dramatic landscapes, and scenes of life from centuries ago.”-Richard Fattorini, Sotheby’s Senior Specialist in Books and Manuscripts.
More than 800 historic photographs of India will be offered at Sotheby’s in London on 13th November as part of the Travel, Atlases, Maps & Natural History sale. Many come from the collection of Sven Gahlin (1934-2017), a Swedish-born collector and art historian known for his connoisseurship. His interest in Indian art began in the 1960s when he started building a superlative collection of Indian miniatures, sold at Sotheby’s London for £4.6m in 2015. Now, over 250 photographs from his collection are appearing at auction for the first time, led by a magnificent album including 80 portraits of Indian Maharajahs, Rajahs and Nawabs (est. £30,000-40,000).
Please find images to download here, and browse the full sale catalogue here.
The complete list of Photographs of Indian included in this sale is as follows:
Photographs from the Sven Gahlin Collection:
Lot 222, India and Ceylon, A collection of 72 early photographs (1860s-early 1900s)
Lot 226, India--Shepherd & Robertson, and others: a collection of 21 photographs. (1870s-c.1900)
Lot 227, India and Nepal--Shepherd & Robertson, Bourne and others: Album of 213 photographs, including a large series of Indian and Nepalese royalty. (c.1880s)
Lot 228, J.H. Clarke, India, An album of British military portraits and groups and views in northern India
Lot 229, India, Photograph album including Sikh and British military groups. (1862-1872)
Lot 230, Eugene Clutterbuck Impey, Album of photographs of colonial and native portraits and views in northern India and Nepal. (c.1858-c.1863)
Photographs from other collections:
Lot 193, Album of 67 photographs of India and elsewhere (1870s-1880s)
Lot 194, Thirty photographs of India (c1870s)
Lot 223, India, Frith Series: Album of 92 photographs of India. (c.1865-c.1875)
Lot 224, India, O.S. Baudesson: A collection of 31 photographs of Indian temples (c.1880s)
Lot 225, India (attributed to Charles Moyne): A collection of 37 photographs of views in and around Calcutta (Kolkata) and Chandernagor (Chandannagar) (c.1860s)