Featured Galleries: Studio Photographs

In the late 19th-century Studio Portraiture was popular amongst the Indian elites as it evoked their social proximity with colonial officials. The range and variety of props and backdrops soon gave the style a distinct character. With the proliferation and increasing affordability of photographic equipment, studios sprang up in almost every neighbourhood. Local meals (fairs) began featuring pop culture backdrops, from cinema for example, and also contributed to the popularity of the genre. It was only with the coming of cheaper Kodak cameras and finally the digital turn which has led to the disappearance of neighbourhood studios. This gallery attempts to chart this history of photography in Delhi.