Portret van twee bedelmonniken van het sikhisme in Delhi before 1869

This is a photograph by Shepherd & Robertson of two Sikh mendicants in Delhi. The image offers a glimpse into the complex interactions between British colonial photographers and the local populations they encountered. These devotees are Oodasees, a sect of Sikhism known for their ascetic practices. They renounce worldly possessions, often living as wandering monks. The photograph captures them in simple attire, highlighting their detachment from material wealth. The photographers operated within a colonial context, where images of local populations served various purposes, from ethnographic documentation to commercial enterprise. This raises questions about representation, power dynamics, and the gaze of the colonizer. The subjects may have had agency in how they presented themselves. What does it mean for these men to be photographed in this way, and for the photograph to be distributed to a Western audience? The image makes us consider the complexities of identity and representation within a colonial framework.