Drie waterdragers van Lepcha afkomst uit Sikkim voor een huis before 1868

This photograph, entitled "Drie waterdragers van Lepcha afkomst uit Sikkim voor een huis" was taken by Benjamin Simpson sometime in the late 19th century. Simpson, as a British surgeon and photographer, was working in a colonial context in India. The image captures three Lepcha individuals outside a dwelling in Sikkim. What stories are etched in their faces? What burdens of labor and colonial subjugation do they carry? The photograph offers an intimate glimpse into their lives, while also framing them within the power dynamics of the time. Consider the act of naming the photograph itself, which emphasizes their role as "water carriers." This categorizes the individuals by their labor. The photograph becomes a document of labor and identity, shaped by both the subjects themselves and the colonial gaze.