Calcutta International 1883-84. Exhibition Views

Album titled Calcutta International 1883-84. Exhibition Views with albumen prints mounted on card and printed captions pasted onto mounts, a total of sixty-four photographs with one per page on 32 pages and mounted back-to-back. Size of each photograph varying between 7.75 x 10.25 in (19.5 x 26 cm) to 9 x 9.75 in (23 x 25 cm). Album size: 12.75 x 17.25 x 1.5 in (32.2 x 44 x 3.5 cm). Mount Size: 12.25 x 16.25 in (31 x 41 cm). Black leather bound with gold tooling to the covers including the title “CALCUTTA INTERNATIONAL 1883-84. EXHIBITION VIEWS” and at the spine along with four raised bands. All edges gilt.

Photographs appear in the following sequence: -

1) The Floating Bridge on the River Hooghly
2) The Shipping in the River Hooghly
3) A Bathing Ghaut on the Bank of the Hooghly
4) The Writer’s Building
5) Old Court House Street
6) Great Eastern Hotel
7) Bird’s Eye View of the Viceroy’s Palace
8) The Esplanade Row
9) Birds Eye View of the Calcutta International Exhibition and Chowringhee Road taken from the Octerlony Monument
10) The Museum Building on the Chowringhee Road which formed the Nucleus of the Calcutta International Exhibition
11) The Jewellery Court Building
12) Great Eastern Hotel Company’s Show case in the British Court
13) The New South Wales Court
14) The Tasmanian Court
15) The South Australian Court
16) Interior of the Jewellery Court and Picture Gallery – 1st View
17) Interior of the Jewellery Court and Picture Gallery – 2nd View
18) The Ornamental Stone carved Gateway from his Highness the Maharajah Scindhia which formed the Principal Entrance to the Indian Courts
19) Assam, Jeypore and Bengal Courts
20) Messrs. Osler and Co.’s Crystal glass Fountain and the Paper Mache Elephant of the Bengal Court
21) The Jeypore Marble Vases, Paper Machie Elephant and Pottery Show case and the Burmese Funeral Pile
22) The Rajputana Court
23) Stone carved Screen – Rajputana Court
24) The North Western Provinces and Oude Court – 1st View
25) The North Western Provinces and Oude Court – 2nd View
26) Lucknow Figures
27) The Punjab Court to the East of the Central Passage
28) Central View – Indian Courts
29) The Madras Court
30) The Punjab Court to the West of the Central Passage – 1st View
31) The Punjab Court to the West of the Central Passage – 2nd View
32) Carved, inlaid and lacquered Wood Work – Punjab Court
33) Carved, inlaid and lacquered Wood Work – Punjab Court
34) Exterior of the Bombay Court
35) Poona Figures – Bombay Court
36) His Highness the Maharajah Gaekwar’s Ivory inlaid Throne – Bombay Court
37) The Baroda Wooden Gateway and Figures and the Nasic Window and Brass Work – Bombay Court
38) A Portion of the Bhawnagar Chhatree in carved Marble – Bombay Court
39) Scind Pottery – Bombay Court
40) Aden and Bombay Jewellery and Cutch Silverware- Bombay Court
41) Ahmedabad cabinet in carved Wood with Designs copied from Ancient Mosques – Bombay Court, Front View
42) Ahmedabad cabinet in carved Wood with Designs copied from Ancient Mosques – Bombay Court, Side View
43) Exterior of the Central India Court
44) Interior of the Central India Court
45) General View – Burmese Court’
46) Carved Wood Sideboard and Stand for a Gong – Burmese Court
47) A Specimen of elaborately carved Wood Work – Burmese Court
48) Buddha’s Shrine and Flower pots modelled in clay – Burmese Court
49) Carved Tusk and Repousse Silver Work – Burmese Court
50) Jewellery – Burmese Court
51) The Mucca or Indian Corn Gateway – Entrance to the Economic Court
52) Interior of the Economic Court’
53) Bombay Manufactures Court
54) Messrs. Osler and Co.’s Glass ware – Calcutta Court
55) Messrs. Lazarus and Co.’s Furniture – Calcutta Court
56) The China Court
57) Interior of the Calcutta Court – 1st View
58) Interior of the Calcutta Court – 2nd View
59) Interior of the Calcutta Court – 3rd View
60) North Entrance – Calcutta Court
61) Birds eye View of the Machinery Shed and its Surroundings
62) The Promenade and the Band Stand
63) View of the Closing Ceremony
64) A Group of Natives of India – Officers in charge of the Indian Courts

The Calcutta International Exhibition was one of the first and most successful large-scale international exhibitions held in British India. The exhibition, which ran from 4 December 1883 to 10 March 1884, was organised to showcase the industrial prowess of the West and their valuable and highly-prized colonial exploits. It is often referred to as a key event in the remodelling of arts and crafts education in colonial India.

The exhibition included around 2,500 exhibitors, with a total of 22 nations and colonies participating – including Austria, French Indo-China, Dutch India, the Indian Empire and Great Britain. The historic world fair displayed approximately one lakh articles procured from various courts such as Burma, Central Indian, Bombay, Punjab, Madras, Mysore, Hyderabad, North-West Indian Provinces, Assam, Bengal, Calcutta, Japan, Cochin, China, as well as Australian and Aboriginal courts. The exhibition presented a broad spectrum of hand-crafted goods that ranged from relics and jewellery to weaponry. This included wood carvings, brass, bronze, copper and silverware, inlay work, ivory, papier mâché work, mother of pearl, lacquer, pottery, embroidery, filigree, enamel, and intricately crafted arms and weapons.

Although world fairs and exhibitions were common in 19th century India, the diverse reach of this exhibition as well as the volume of exhibits on display attracted momentous crowds. A total of 8,17,153 paid visitors along with approximately 2,00,000 additional season ticket holders, exhibitors and free visitors were recorded to have attended the exhibition.

The present lot is an album of photographs that serve as an invaluable visual record of the miscellaneous exhibits displayed in the Calcutta International Exhibition 1983-84.

NON-EXPORTABLE

This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as reference for the condition of each photograph.