India
Collection of photographs of Indian rulers, c.1875-80
Estimate: £500 - £800
Auction: 05 February 2025 from 10:00 GMT
Description
19 albumen print portraits, all approx. 9.5cm x 6cm, mounted to two contemporary card album leaves with manuscript captions identifying each ruler, captions reading:
‘Lindee’, i.e. Umed Singh II (1833-1875), Maharao of Sirohi;
‘Cashmere’, Ranbir Singh (1830-1885), , Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir;
'Bethan', Sir Harendra Kishor Singh (1854-1893), Maharaja of Bettiah;
'Mysore', Chamarajendra Wadiyar, (1863-1894), Maharaja of Mysore, as a child;
'Baroda', possibly Sayajirao Gaekwad III (1863-1939), Maharaja of Baroda;
‘Bowra’, Shrimant Shankarrao Chimnajirao (1854-1922), Raja of Bhor;
'Furbungah', possibly Sir Lakshmeshwar Singh Bahadur (1858-98), Maharaja of Darbhanga;
‘Rewa’, Sir Raghuraj Singh Ju Deo Bahadur (1823-80), Maharaja of Rewa;
‘Indore’, Sir Tukoji Rao Holkar (1835-86), Maharaja of Indore;
'Kappirthalla', Sir Jagatjit Singh (1872-1949), Maharaja of Kapurthala, as a child;
'Drangdra', Sir Mansinhji Ranmalsinhji (1837-1900), Maharana of Dhrangadhra;
'Hyderobad', Mahboob Ali Khan (1866-1911), Nizam of Hyderabad (regnal name Asaf Jah VI);
'Chota Orddit', Zorawar Muhammad Khan, Nawab of of Palanpur (the caption evidently misidentifying the sitter as the ruler of Chhota Udaipur). All unsigned but many known to be by Bourne and Shepherd.
The verso of the first sheet with 6 further albumen-print portraits (similar dimensions), captioned: ‘A Bhooteah’; ‘The Prime Minister of Sikhim’; ‘A Lepcha Boy'; ‘A Bhooteah Coolie’; ‘A Young Lama’; ‘A Bhooteah Coolie’. The verso of the second sheet with 2 larger albumen-print photographs, ‘Indian Sansies (Thieves & Shoplifers)' (20 x 16.2cm, signed in the negative ‘Shepherd & Robertson Photo: 1122’), and ‘Indian FLying Foxes’ (21 x 16.4cm).
Mounts spotted (2)