A Fakir

An emaciated, disheveled man stands grimly against a wall, his head tilted haplessly at the viewer. He stands on a rag that he had probably been sitting on moments before this picture was taken. Nearby is a bundle of cloth that he presumably used as a cover. The fingers of his right hand limply hold a beaded necklace.

Though the man is otherwise indistinguishable from a beggar, an inscription on the back of the photograph identifies him as a fakir or Muslim religious mendicant. However, the rosary-like necklace he carries suggests that he may just as likely be a Hindu.

Although men such as this one are commonly seen in India today, this photograph could indicate the contested position in the 1800s of non-Christian religious figures, who were challenged by European imperial power and Christianity. The photographer may thus have been making a conscious attempt to portray Indian religious figures as little more than barbaric vagabonds.