Bourne & Shepherd: Figures in Time

20 AUGUST TO 15 SEPTEMBER 

DR BHAU DAJI LAD MUSEUM, MUMBAI

During his seven-year stay in imperial India, starting in 1863, Samuel Bourne, along with his printer Charles Shepherd, produced more than 2,000 photographs. These were among the earliest visual accounts of Indian life seen by the British public, and, consequently, the Western world. This exhibition featured scenes of an India that no longer exists: the Viceroy’s decorated elephant, costumed royals from Jodhpur and Gwalior, and views of old Delhi from the Jama Masjid. The exhibition venue was as stunning as the photographs themselves: Mumbai’s Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, formerly the Victoria and Albert Museum, itself a magnificent relic of the British era.

- Ajay Mehta