Amerapoora: South Ditch of the City Wall c. 1855

Linnaeus Tripe captured this albumen silver print, titled "Amerapoora: South Ditch of the City Wall." Tripe, a British photographer, documented 19th-century India during British colonial rule. His photographs provided a visual record of the landscape, architecture, and people, often serving colonial interests by documenting and classifying the colonized world. In this image, we see the city wall of Amerapoora, reflected in the ditch water. The photograph, taken during a time of immense political and cultural change, presents a complex interplay between the colonizer and the colonized. It makes you consider the power dynamics inherent in the act of documenting another culture. Tripe’s photographs, while aesthetically striking, prompt us to question the colonial gaze and its impact on the representation and perception of non-Western societies. Consider how photography during this period contributed to shaping Western perceptions of the East.