Portret van twee onbekende mannen van de Bugti-stam uit Sindh before 1872

This is a portrait of two men from the Bugti tribe of Sindh, captured by Henry Charles Baskerville Tanner. This image emerges from a moment of profound colonial encounter. Tanner, an Englishman, photographs members of the Bugti tribe, a Baloch group, within the context of British colonial rule in the Sindh region. The photograph, while seemingly a straightforward depiction of two individuals, speaks to the power dynamics inherent in the act of representation. Who gets to represent whom, and under what conditions? The men’s clothing and the very act of being photographed locate them in a specific time and place, but also within a gaze that is not their own. This gaze essentializes their identity, reducing them to anthropological subjects. Consider the emotional weight of this encounter. The subjects may have felt a mix of curiosity, apprehension, or resignation. Tanner’s intentions may have ranged from genuine interest to a more exploitative documentation. This image reflects the complex, often fraught, relationship between colonizer and colonized, leaving us to consider the ethics of representation and the lasting impact of such encounters.