Raj in a Shoe Box

The negatives in their original 5×8’ plate boxes were found in a Size 9 Peter Lord shoe box,hidden away in the negatives store at RCAHMS. Wrapped in sheets of The Statesman dated 1914,these delicate negatives are are intact. They are now kept in protective storage. “It’s fantastic that a small shoe box contained such a treasure trove of photographic imagery,but in some ways,it’s not unusual. Our experience has shown us that some of the most interesting discoveries can be made in unlikely places,” said Claire Sorensen,RCAHMS Architectural Historian,in an email interview.

Apart from Sorensen,John Falconer,Curator of Photographs at The British Library,has also been working on this. An RCAHMS official said that Falconer has identified a few locations and remarked on the high quality and beauty of the images.

Interestingly,1911-1914 was also the time when Indian capital was being shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. In a way,these photographs also tell the story of a mystery photographer,who,besides clicking everyday life — men in dhotis working at dhobi ghats,grain-sellers,sweetmeat shops,grazing cattle,painted elephants,little children with donkeys and street shops — has also captured British officials playing tennis,ships passing by at Hooghly,millitary groups lined up on the riverside and families of British officials posing for group pictures.

Though there is no concrete plan of exhibiting the photographs as of now,the negatives have been digitised and put up online for viewing. “Over the time,all this new material will be inspected and catalogued as part of our collection — undergoing conservation work where necessary — and then made available to the public,” concluded Sorensen.