Calcutta, Government House Showing the South Eastern Arch 1867

Curator: This is Samuel Bourne's "Calcutta, Government House Showing the South Eastern Arch." Editor: It has such a stately, imposing feel. All that neoclassical architecture under a somewhat hazy sky. Curator: Bourne made this albumen print to document the architecture of British India. The lion atop the arch is a clear symbol of colonial power. Editor: Yes, the lion projects authority, but the building itself seems to borrow its visual language from ancient Greece and Rome. What does this imply? Curator: It suggests a conscious effort to legitimize British rule by associating it with the grandeur and supposed rationality of Western civilization. Editor: I see a double projection of power here, the lion as an explicit herald, and the architecture as a visual claim to a superior lineage. Curator: Exactly. A fascinating study in visual rhetoric of empire, wouldn't you say? Editor: Indeed, quite striking to consider how symbols and architecture combine to make such a potent statement.