The arrival of photography in India in 1840 began a rivalry between its practitioners and the painters of traditional miniatures and portraits. The novelty of this astonishing new medium soon attracted many court painters and patrons who themselves turned photographers, including the Maharajas of Jaipur, Tripura, and Chamba. These early photographs captured Indian rulers and their families in a variety of poses, which nevertheless reflected the formality and strictures of court life.
Pramod Kumar KG here presents a wide range of photographs - based on previously unpublished archives -...