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Delhi Coronation Durbar 1st January 1903
Delhi Coronation Durbar 1st January 1903

Delhi Coronation Durbar 1st January 1903

Artist (German, active 1882 onward)
Place of OriginDelhi, India
Date1903
MaterialsPhotographs (albumen prints) mounted on paper in leather-bound album
DimensionsH. 15 3/8 in x W. 18 1/4 in x Th. 2 1/4 in, H. 39.1 cm x W. 46.4 cm x Th. 5.7 cm
Credit LineFrom the Collection of William K. Ehrenfeld, M.D.
Object number2005.64.159
DepartmentSouth Asian Art
ClassificationsPhotography
On View
Not on view
More Information
In India in the late 1800s, photography became a popular means to represent and document royalty. This album, compiled by European observers, commemorates the 1903 durbar, a celebration to honor the succession of King Edward VII to the post of Emperor of India. The two-week event included parades, dances, and exhibitions, and was an extravagant display of wealth and status. Edward VII was not present at the celebration in Delhi, but the Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh rulers of various Indian princely states were invited, and this album presents portraits of many of those in attendance. The page seen here shows images of Maharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir (left) and his brother Raja Amar Singh of Jammu and Kashmir. These photographic portraits and the portraits of Sikh maharajas on view elsewhere in the gallery display similar codes of dress and posture to convey the status of their sitters.