Artwork

India. Calcutta. Harrison Road I with Group of Jogees, after photo by Dr. Kurt Boeck

Photoglob Co. , 1900

India. Calcutta. Harrison Road I with Group of Jogees, after photo by Dr. Kurt Boeck is a photography by the Impressionist artist Photoglob Co.. It dates from 1900 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This hand-colored photograph depicts a street scene in Calcutta, featuring a group of men in orange robes standing near tall iron poles.

About this work

This photo was hand-colored in Switzerland, but the printers got the colors wrong—the men’s robes should be saffron, not orange.

You see a busy street in old Calcutta, with a group of men in bright orange robes standing near tall iron poles.

This photo was hand-colored in Switzerland, but the printers got the colors wrong—the men’s robes should be saffron, not orange. The men are Jogees, part of a Hindu group that once lived by begging and yoga. Their way of life was already fading when this was taken.

To see more photos like this, look up subject: india, 19th century.

Overview

This hand-colored photograph depicts a street scene in Calcutta, featuring a group of men in orange robes standing near tall iron poles.

Subject & Meaning

The men, identified as Jogees, are members of a Hindu group that traditionally practiced yoga and worshipped Shiva, often earning their living as religious beggars. Their way of life was in decline by the time this photograph was taken.

Technique & Style

The image was hand-colored in Switzerland, but the colorists inaccurately rendered the Jogees' traditional saffron robes as orange.

Context

The photograph captures a busy street in old Calcutta, with the presence of light poles indicating a level of urban development.