Gezicht op het huis Dilkusha in Lucknow before 1872

This is an undated photograph of the Dilkusha Kothi in Lucknow by Darogha Ubbas Alli. The sepia tones and the album’s framing emphasize the image's structure and its composition within the book's physical form. The photograph captures the ruinous state of the Kothi through a lens that seems deliberately formal, focusing on architectural elements like the columns, stairs, and the building's facade. The image invites us to consider how decay and structure coexist, suggesting a tension between permanence and transience. The play of light and shadow across the Kothi's surface highlights the texture of the aging stone and brick, drawing attention to the materiality of the building itself. This approach prompts questions about representation: How does photography mediate our understanding of historical sites? Does it preserve or transform them? By focusing on the Kothi’s formal qualities, the photograph encourages a reading of the site as both a physical reality and a symbolic space. The act of viewing becomes an exploration of history, memory, and the aesthetics of ruin.