[Three East Indian Women] 1870s

Francis Frith made this albumen silver print, titled [Three East Indian Women], in the 19th century. As a successful English photographer and businessman, Frith extensively traveled the Middle East and Asia, documenting landscapes and people during the height of the British Empire. This image, like many of its time, reflects the complex relationship between the West and the East. Posed against a simple, perhaps staged backdrop, the women are framed through a colonial lens. The title itself, "East Indian Women," flattens individual identities into a collective, exoticized other. The gaze of each woman is distinct. One stares directly, seemingly challenging the viewer; another looks down, perhaps embodying a more demure representation. Frith’s photographs were commercial ventures, catering to a European audience eager for glimpses of faraway lands and people. What do you feel when looking at this image? Its visual beauty stands in contrast to the socio-political context that framed its creation.