Northern India including occupational portraits

細節

OSCAR MALLITTE (c. 1829-1905)
Northern India including occupational portraits
Album of 108 albumen prints including 2 two-part panoramas and 3 three-part panoramas. Circa 1858-60. Varying in size from 4 1/8 x 5½ in. (10.5 x 14 cm.) to 9½ x 11½ in. (24.1 x 29.2 cm.) or the reverse, panoramas from approximately 6½ x 25 in. (16.5 x 63.5 cm.) to 9 x 34 in. (22.8 x 86.3 cm.). 57 signed O.M. in the negatives, all titled in pencil or with printed title labels on the mounts, front free end with Elgin Archives blindstamp and annotated 1863-4 in ink in a later hand, half brown leather.
Album size: 10¾ x 15 in. (27.3 x 38.1 cm.)

來源

James, 8th Earl of Elgin, Viceroy of India (1862-63);
by descent;
Sotheby's, London, Photographs, 7 May 1998, lot 21

注意事項

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拍品專文

A fine and rare album devoted to the work of this French photographer, who arrived in Calcutta in 1857. Mallitte attended meetings of the Bengal Photographic Society and showed examples of his work there. In 1857, he accompanied the President of the Society, Dr. Mouat, on a visit to the Andamon Islands, where he took the first photographs of the Islanders. In 1859-60 Mallitte acted as the Official Photographer on Viceroy Lord Canning's extensive tour of northern India.
This album starts with several views of hill stations including Simla and continues with architectural subjects including temples in Simla, tombs in Lahore, the Qutb Minar in Delhi, the Taj in Agra, holy temples in Hurdwar and the City of Bareilly. The Hindon Bridge is shown still in a damaged state following the uprising (illus.) and the Jama Mosque in Agra is shown before one exterior wall was demolished in 1858 to accommodate the railway. The panoramas are of Simla, Mussoorie, Landour, Nainital and the Taj. A few military group portraits include one of a cavalry group, another of officers from the Rifle Brigade, the remaining forty-eight photographs are varied occupational portraits. Also including a fine study of the Maharaja of Patiala's state elephant with howdah (illus.).