Fatehpur Sikri, Interior of Great Quadrangle Showing Sheik Selim Chisti's Tomb 1863 - 1866

Editor: This is Samuel Bourne's photograph, "Fatehpur Sikri, Interior of Great Quadrangle Showing Sheik Selim Chisti's Tomb." It's a silver gelatin print that captures a vast courtyard. What strikes me is the way the architecture dominates the people, almost dwarfing them. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see the British colonial gaze framing Indian architecture. Bourne was commissioned to document India, and these images served a purpose. How do you think this image might have been used or understood back in Britain? Editor: Perhaps as a symbol of British power, showcasing the scale and grandeur of what they controlled? Curator: Precisely. And how might that contrast with the experience of those living in and around Fatehpur Sikri at the time? Editor: I hadn't considered that perspective. It definitely adds a layer of complexity to this seemingly straightforward photograph.