Edges of Empire

Photo: Wholesale Loads of Mexican Baskets

Photographer: C.B. Waite

This particular photograph depicts three Mexican men carrying massive loads of Mexican baskets on their back.  The men are not particularly large and their stance suggests that the large quantity of baskets are weighing heavily on their bodies.  Their facial expressions would suggest that they are under enormous stress and their work load is very heavy.  It can be deducted from this photograph that these men must be laborers or slaves who are relatively low in Mexican society.  These men appear to be native to Mexico, but the description does not definitively say whether or not they are native peoples of Mexico.  This issue raises the question of slavery as a practice in Mexico was as commonplace as it was in other parts of the colonial world, as it is more commonly associated with regions like the Southern United States.  This photo clearly demonstrates massive pressure on these men to accomplish the sale or transport of these baskets.  There are also other questions that arise upon viewing the photograph.  The treatment of colonial subjects as inhuman is possibly demonstrated in this photo, as no human should be expected to carry this many baskets on their back.  However, there is no explanation as to whether or not this is a Mexican custom or normality of some kind.  It is up to the modern viewer to decide in this particular case.

In Degolyer’s photo to the left, Bhattia Women, depicts three Indian women standing together and posing in lavish clothing. None of them look at the camera as if they are submissive to the photographer. In the photo to the right, Tortilla Maker, a woman stares out a window as she prepares tortillas. These photos show many similarities about the depiction of women at these times. They are shown as objectified and simplistic. None of the women smile in these photos which makes me think they are unhappy, or perhaps silenced by the opposite gender. They stare into the distance as if there is a better life waiting for them. I wonder if Degolyer intended to depict these ideas, or if these women were just another form of art.

Photo: Golas or Hereditary Slaves of Kattiwar

Photographer: William Johnson

In this particular image, a group of slaves are posing in what appears to be a rather desolate and almost war-torn backdrop.  The title of the photo is intriguing because these men appear to be fairly well dressed and groomed.  The appearance of these men stands in stark contrast to how many would view slaves in other parts of the world who would appear much more ragged and in worse shape.  This possibly suggests that the fact that they are hereditary slaves allows them to be treated quite differently than slaves in other parts of the world where there could be a racial component.  All of the men in the photo are all looking in different directions with different facial expressions, possibly suggesting a different status or standing among the different men.  Some look surprised while others appear to be happy and aloof.  This photo raises many questions about the use of slaves prior to the European involvement in India as well as the standing that these hereditary slaves had in India.  This shows a connection between the cultures of Europe and India long before the two cultures were mixed and how they are different as well.

The first photo was taken by William Johnson in India during the years of 1855 and 1862. The photo shows the building of a railroad by the Indian people. The photograph is part of three volumes of “Photographs of Western India” and is called “On the Bhore Ghaut – Laying down the rails” and the picture was taken in Maharashtra, India. The image that Johnson took is a panoramic view of the railroad being built by the Indians. The Bhore Ghaut project looks seriously difficult as the construction and engineering during that time period required plenty of arduous labor. The barren land and what looks to be hundreds of laborers are working hard to complete a railroad. The railroad benefits both the Indian people and the British and the harsh labor used in India is similar to the building of railroads in the New World. The irony about the picture is that although the Indian people benefit economically from the railroad, the British use the railroad for their economic benefit by draining India of valuable resources and subsequently utilize the railroad to transport the military and helped Britain keep solid control over the state.

The second photo, called Puente de Wimer F.C.M, or Bridge of Wimer is part of a 1 volume grouping of photos that shows railroads and similar projects in Maltrata, the Veracruz state in Mexico. The F.C.M. stands for Ferrocarril Mexicano, or the Mexican Railway, one of the first pre-nationalization railway companies in Mexico. The Wimer Bridge photo shows an expansive valley with a large suspended bridge constructed with what seems to be a European dressed man standing on top of the bridge, somewhat of an eerie illustration of the power that the Europeans had over the New World. This idea coincides with the construction of the Wimmer Bridge through the Maltrata Valley because it was completed with the labor of many Mexicans, similar to the use of Indian natives building bridges in India. Although the Mexicans of the last generations did not want to help and were reluctant “to give support that might facilitate invasion from the north” (Powell, 103) the “need for railroads was acknowledged” (Powell, 103) but only projects that opened up communication between the Gulf, Pacific and to develop the interior had more bi-partisan support. As the technological power of Mexicans during the late 1800s was much less than it is today, the engineering feat that was accomplished by building elevated platforms for trains and tunneled into a mountain shows the skills and the amount of difficult labor that was required.

[Bengal-Nagpur Railroad Construction, Photograph No. 9]  by J.C. Townshend

This picture illustrates roughly 10-13 people during a long, day constructing a railroad tunnel. We can see some of the workers hold tools such as hammer type tool and others on the move as the photo was taken. There are tons of supplies necessary for the job, as there are wood planks, bricks, baskets and other materials scattered around the building site. Judging from this picture, I would believe that the two lighter skinned men are in charge or supervising because of the era of this picture and they are also dressed very differently from the others. As we can easily see they are many levels to building the cave and the track inside as there are ladders leading to many different stories of the cave.

Looking at this picture the following questions came to mind. Were they made to work on the railroad or is it a job in exchange for currency? And how efficient are these men while they are working? Do they need more workers to help?

Torreon and Lerdo Electric Ry by Charles Betts Waite

From this picture, we can take away the true popularity of this constructed railroad system because of the fully packed couple of cars sitting at the station waiting to depart. It looks fairly simply to operate as we only see two men dressed in the conductor uniform meaning there isn’t a big crew needed to drive the train. One of the men looks as if he is checking tickets or helping people in and off. Judging by the people sitting inside the train cars, they look of lighter skin, meaning the train was probably meant for the wealthier and higher class. The town around the train looks fairly empty as the only thing covering the surrounding environment, besides the one building in the back that might be the station, is a bunch of trees and bushes showing us the train isn’t running through a town.

Looking at this picture, the following questions came to mind. Where are these people headed? How difficult is it to get a spot on board?

Title: Mexican Family at Home Photographer: Unkown

Photograph 6: Mexican Family at Home

This photograph shows a rural Mexican family consisting of a man and a woman, a son, two daughters and an infant child. Looking at this photograph, one can see that this family lives in poverty. Their clothing is torn and simplistic and the young son is barefoot and seems to not be wearing any clothes other than his shirt. Their thatched house seems to be made in a traditional manner, stacking mud bricks to form the walls and weaving together whatever they could find on the ground to create a roof. It is obvious that the man works long hours in the sun, as his skin is dark and his complexion is wrinkled. What the man does to support his family is unknown, but he could be a weaver who creates bed mats, baskets or other hand made products. There is a vast discrepancy between the lower class of Mexico and the elite, and that can be seen clearly within this picture by the way the family looks and how they present themselves. Pictures of the elite in Mexico are shown composed with light skin, and dressed in expensive clothes from Europe. This photograph shows a vast contradiction.

This photographs shows three Indian, who are called bhandaris (wine vendors). Their profession is to collect sap from palm trees and ferment it, turning it into a wine. These men obviously live in poverty, which can be seen by the clothes they wear and how skinny they are. They sit outside a house built from wood with windows, so it is clear to see that these men wait and rely on the sales from the British colonizers. It is unknown how much money these men make but an interesting question to consider would be: Is there life better with the introduction of Europeans to India or worse? They are all very dark skinned which is the main difference between the light skinned Europeans. The color of their skin is what Europeans turn to when they argue that they are superior. Having white skin in the eye of Europeans instantly means superiority.

#India #Colonialism #ThirdWorld