First photo of Taj Mahal, other rare vintage pictures on show

The first ever picture of Taj Mahal, along with early black and white photographs that were painted to give a sense of colour, now form part of rare and iconic photographs put up for display here.
Coinciding with 175th World Photography Day, an exhibition of photographic history of India and its "confluence of cultures" with other South Asian neighbours of British Imperial period are set to displayed at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) here.
The photographs are part of the Alkazi Foundation of Arts, which has remounted as a single show pictures which were part of two previously held exhibitions "Allegory and Illusion: Early Portrait Photography from South Asia" in New York and 'Unveiling India, the Early Lensmen (1850-1910)' in Brussels.

"We are trying to put together the visual history or photographic history of India which is not isolated from rest of South Asia. Whatever cultures India had is closely related to those of Sri Lanka, Burma, Nepal and South Asian countries of British Imperial times, which were considered British authority" Rahaab Allana, the exhibition's curator told PTI.
The showcase includes the first ever picture of Taj Mahal clicked in 1858. Photographs of Sri Lankan women and old cottages in Myanmar also find a place in the exhibition that is scheduled to be on view till September 30.
"We have tried to say that British empire was not just conflict, but also confluence of cultures," says Rahaab.

The photos displayed were taken during the period of 1850 and 1910 by various photographers who travelled within the country and abroad with their huge cameras to capture the frames.
"The cameras were extremely large at that time. All these bulky equipment needed lot of people to carry it. Photographer had to travel with a team of eight to 10 people using various means of transport like pushcarts and bullock carts. It was actually a difficult task," says Rahaab.
"We are talking about an era when there was slowness, it is a study, a sort of exploration of India and a lot of work is documentary," he says.