Twee portretten van een onbekende vrouw uit Madras before 1886

Paolo Mantegazza made these two photographic portraits of an unknown woman from Madras. The images present a set of cultural and historical contradictions. We should ask, how do we see the sitter? Do we see the person depicted or our own cultural assumptions? Madras, now Chennai, was a crucial site in the British Raj. We must understand the way in which photography was used in this period to exoticize and also exert power over colonial subjects. Mantegazza was an Italian anthropologist and physician. His images are as much scientific documents as portraits, as he developed theories about race and social inequality. Images like these raise questions about the social role of museums. What are the ethics of displaying images of people from different cultural contexts without their consent or knowledge?