Artwork

Interior of Church, Neemuch (recto, right); Grave of Dr. Falwasser, Neemuch (recto, left); Indian Lady 250 BC (verso, right)

Interior of Church, Neemuch (recto, right); Grave of Dr. Falwasser, Neemuch (recto, left); Indian Lady 250 BC (verso, right) is a photography by the Impressionist artist Raja Deen Dayal. It dates from 1884 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

Overview

The sheet presents three separate images: the entrance of a church, the grave of a doctor named Falwasser, and a drawing of an Indian woman dated to around 250 BC. These photographs belong to a larger album assembled in the late 1880s that documented everyday and ceremonial scenes from British‑controlled India.

Subject & Meaning

The juxtaposition of a colonial religious space, a personal memorial, and an antiquarian illustration reflects the dual interests of the album’s patron—both the contemporary life of the British and Indian elite and a fascination with India’s distant past.

Technique & Style

Captured by one of the early professional photographers operating in India, the images are black‑and‑white prints typical of the period, employing the albumen process that rendered fine detail in architectural and portrait subjects.

History & Provenance

The photographs were taken between 1885 and the summer of 1887. The album, originally comprising roughly 105 plates, was likely assembled for a British civil servant visiting India around 1888 as a personal souvenir. The museum currently holds a subset of 37 plates (accession 2016.266) from this collection.

Context

During the late nineteenth century, photography became a tool for colonial officials to record and display their surroundings, often blending scenes of administration, personal commemoration, and scholarly interest in India’s ancient heritage.