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You are here: Home / 2015 / March / 26 / Indian Cotton Market

Indian Cotton Market

Published on March 26, 2015 by Mason Intlekofer

India Pic

“The Cotton Market, Bombay” is one of William Johnson’s pictures taken of every day life in India. As the title of this picture suggests, the picture is of a cotton market in the Indian city of Bombay. Eight men wearing turbans, possibly Sikhs, are seen sitting on and standing around large bundles of cotton. There are also bags and baskets of cotton as well, adding to the mass of cotton in the picture. One man looks like he is prodding a basket of cotton with a long stick, and others have bundles in their hands, possibly doing some sort of process that makes the cotton more usable. Despite the mass of cotton around the men, none of them look wealthy. All are wearing simple white clothing, most likely cotton, with no color or intricate patterns that would symbolize wealth. This shows how the once mighty cotton industry in India was crippled and taken over by the industrial textile factories of England. It is important to note that English letters can be seen on the large bundles of cotton in the background, showing that the cotton must have first came through the English, leaving less profit for the Indians pictured.

 

Posted in Labor | Tagged #cotton, #sihks, #textiles, India

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