Rare 19th Century Pictures of India - BBC

[xl_target]

Grumpy,
I knew someone had posted a video of hunting in India with Cheetah's and I went searching for it.

Lakecity Shooter posted the video HERE

I also found this about Cheetah's belonging to the Saudi royal Family: HERE

Just thought you might be interested.

[brihacharan]

Check out some interesting pictures I found on BBC today:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-22212009

Hi Timmy,
> Thanks for sharing Raja Deen Dayal's masterpieces in photography.
> Imagine that these great works of art were accomplished using a huge BOX CAMERA with Fixed Focus Lens - No shutter Speed - The timing for exposure was made by removing the lens cap & putting it back - judgement was purely based on the understanding / estimation of the intensity of light at the time of taking the picture.
> There was no film in those days - It was a Glass Plate coated with Silver Nitrate / Bromide mixed with Egg Albumin.
> To avoid shadows on faces & objects the photographs were taken between 9mm & 11am or 3pm & 4pm.
> What's truly amazing from a photographer's point of view is the "Amazing Composition" & arrangement of people & objects within the perceptible frame, especially the depth of focus - meaning both the objects close to the camera & far from it are in absolute focus.
> What's even more astounding is that after a century the images have not faded...
> Raja Deen Dayal shares space with such masters / legends as Henri Cartier Bresson, Ansal Adams, Yusuf Karsh et al...
Briha

[timmy]

Thanks for that information, Briha! It is most helpful to consider what I'm looking at!

[brihacharan]

Thanks for that information, Briha! It is most helpful to consider what I'm looking at!

Hi Timmy,
> You are welcome pal
> Here's some more info on Raja Deen Dayal.....

The glass plate negatives of one of India's pioneer photographers, Raja Deen Dayal occupy the pride of place in the IGNCA (Indira Gandhi Centre for Arts) Archives in New Delhi. The collection is valuable as it is the complete collection of the original glass plates of the photographer who is a legend now. In all, IGNCA has a breadth-taking range of 3000 glass plate negatives.

In an age when `quick photo' had not set in, the photography was a time-consuming and laborious process. Photo prints were made from glass plate negatives. Each negative had to be carefully prepared. The method used by Deen Dayal is called Collodion Process. To prepare a negative, a glass plate was taken and a coat of binder was applied on it and on that a coat of Iodized Collodion. This, sensitized in a solution of silver nitrate was loaded onto the camera. The plate had to be exposed when it was still wet. Then it would be processed by the usual method of washing and drying. This method necessitated the carrying of dark room to the site of photography.

There was no scope for enlarging in those days! The size of the photo was the same as the size of the negative. So if the requirement was for a big photo, big glass plates were used!

As his reputation grew he was invited by the Nizam of Hyderabad. He photographed the Nizam, his many palaces, the ceremonial parades, ornaments, furniture and maintained a scrupulous account in photo of the many receptions hosted by the Nizam for visiting dignitaries. Impressed with his photographic art, the Nizam bestowed on him the title of Raja. That's now Lala Deen Dayal came to be known as Raja Deen Dayal.

During his lifetime, Deen Dayal won many accolades. While the newspapers wrote about him, his work was among the exhibits at the World Colombian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. The `real' recognition came when Queen Victoria granted his firm Royal Warrant.

So accurate was he that the Archaeological Survey commissioned him to work for it.

IGNCA has acquired the complete collection, along with the photographic equipment. (10x12 studio camera, an antique magnesium flash camera and some lens) from Deen Dayal's grandson Amir Chand and great-grand daughter Mrs. Hemlata Jain who were finding it increasingly difficult to preserve it.

The collection undoubtedly is a priceless treasure as IGNCA is the only Centre in the country, probably in the world, to house such a huge collection of glass plates.

BTW Mrs. Hemlata Jain’s niece Mrs. Supriya Atal was a fellow faculty of mine at business school in Mumbai and as such had the privilege of seeing a few of their personal collection that were in their possession then.

Briha

[Grumpy]

When the Vageeswari camera company ceased trading a few years ago the remaining stock hung around in store for a while and was then sold on - most, if not all, of the bodies went to the UK and USA. Unusual because they were all large format plate bodies up to 12x10. A few are still available from some sources.

[timmy]

Thanks for that information, Briha! It is most helpful to consider what I'm looking at!

Hi Timmy,
> You are welcome pal
> Here's some more info on Raja Deen Dayal.....

The glass plate negatives of one of India's pioneer photographers, Raja Deen Dayal occupy the pride of place in the IGNCA (Indira Gandhi Centre for Arts) Archives in New Delhi. The collection is valuable as it is the complete collection of the original glass plates of the photographer who is a legend now. In all, IGNCA has a breadth-taking range of 3000 glass plate negatives.

In an age when `quick photo' had not set in, the photography was a time-consuming and laborious process. Photo prints were made from glass plate negatives. Each negative had to be carefully prepared. The method used by Deen Dayal is called Collodion Process. To prepare a negative, a glass plate was taken and a coat of binder was applied on it and on that a coat of Iodized Collodion. This, sensitized in a solution of silver nitrate was loaded onto the camera. The plate had to be exposed when it was still wet. Then it would be processed by the usual method of washing and drying. This method necessitated the carrying of dark room to the site of photography.

There was no scope for enlarging in those days! The size of the photo was the same as the size of the negative. So if the requirement was for a big photo, big glass plates were used!

As his reputation grew he was invited by the Nizam of Hyderabad. He photographed the Nizam, his many palaces, the ceremonial parades, ornaments, furniture and maintained a scrupulous account in photo of the many receptions hosted by the Nizam for visiting dignitaries. Impressed with his photographic art, the Nizam bestowed on him the title of Raja. That's now Lala Deen Dayal came to be known as Raja Deen Dayal.

During his lifetime, Deen Dayal won many accolades. While the newspapers wrote about him, his work was among the exhibits at the World Colombian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. The `real' recognition came when Queen Victoria granted his firm Royal Warrant.

So accurate was he that the Archaeological Survey commissioned him to work for it.

IGNCA has acquired the complete collection, along with the photographic equipment. (10x12 studio camera, an antique magnesium flash camera and some lens) from Deen Dayal's grandson Amir Chand and great-grand daughter Mrs. Hemlata Jain who were finding it increasingly difficult to preserve it.

The collection undoubtedly is a priceless treasure as IGNCA is the only Centre in the country, probably in the world, to house such a huge collection of glass plates.

BTW Mrs. Hemlata Jain’s niece Mrs. Supriya Atal was a fellow faculty of mine at business school in Mumbai and as such had the privilege of seeing a few of their personal collection that were in their possession then.

Briha

Briha Bhai, thanks again for this additional information. Truly, Raja Deen Dayal was a real pioneer in the field of photography! It seems a real effort in "disinformation" that children are not taught about such things, but that school books tend to trumpet the accomplishments of one's own country. I wish I had known about these things when I was young.

Actually, I was touched by this issue of Raja Deen Dayal a little, which I noticed after reading your story. The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is housed in the building where these photographs would have been displayed, from the 1893 Columbian Exposition. I've been in that Museum many many times!

Thanks again for your explanation of early photographic processes! There is no "thanks" button for general ramblings, but if there were, you would have a few from me!

[essdee1972]

Briha sir, thanks for the explanation of the process.

Just hope the IGNCA has proper safeguards in place and these priceless items of our heritage do not go the way of our National film archives or Bourne & Shephard's collection of old photographs in Kolkata!

[brihacharan]

Briha sir, thanks for the explanation of the process.

Just hope the IGNCA has proper safeguards in place and these priceless items of our heritage do not go the way of our National film archives or Bourne & Shephard's collection of old photographs in Kolkata!

> A few years ago I was shocked to see the pathetic condition of some of our old B/W films by our erstwhile masters stored in warehouses without dehumidifiers & air-conditioning
Briha

[shooter]

Some may find it strange but glass plate negatives actually age well unlike the film roll negatives. They give amazing quality prints a century after being exposed.

I have attended the Lafayette studio glass plate collection project talk in British high commision in Delhi which was organised by Victoria and Albert museum. They are now owners of the Lafayette prints and they explained how after a century of being kept in cartons in a basement in dust and damp how glass prints gave crisp images.
Im not taking away from deen dayal photographs. I have always been his fan esp the famous pic of the nizam with all those trophies that he had shot.