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Material Goods in India and Mexico

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Fancy Pottery Venders

The Cotton Ground

“The Cotton Ground Colaba, Bombay” taken by William Johnson and William Henderson in the mid-19th century displays mass quantities of cotton harvested. The amount of cotton grouped together, seemingly getting ready to export, is immense. There are little hut-like structures with ladders leading up to them with many harvesting tools laying around. The grounds are absolutely desolate in regards to people. Buildings surround the bundles of cotton that are relatively new given the European style architecture. The larger buildings to the right could possibly be a factory since the photo is taken after the Industrial Revolution. What catches the eye is the magnitude of the grounds. It gives a visual representation of how the Europeans exploit the Indians for their raw materials. These mounds of cotton were most likely exported to Europe immediately so they could be factory made into valuable products. On the other hand, maybe the Europeans kept a certain amount for the Indians to produce native calico textiles to be sold in Europe. The absence of people is a puzzling matter. The grounds are large and filled with all harvested cotton but no one is there to transport it. This brings up the debate whether or not these raw materials will be exported or produced in India.

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/eaa/id/1092/rec/115

Fancy Pottery Venders

“Fancy Pottery Venders” taken by C.B. Waite in 1905 displays a pottery stand in a traditional Mexican market. In the stand there are five people. The first and most noticeable is a man holding two figurines wearing fairly nice clothes and a wide-brimmed hat. He is grimacing at the photographer. The second two noticeable people are two young boys, one who seems to be in his late teens and the other a child. Both of these boys are dressed nicely and wearing similar hats to the elderly man. The last two figures in the photo are somewhat hidden, there is a body behind the oldest man and a woman hidden behind some of their pottery in the back corner. Their merchandise is mostly intricately decorated pottery and figurines with traditional artwork on the surface of each product. This stand speaks a lot about Mexican culture. All of the materials displayed seem to be traditional pieces that in some way relate to Mexican views, beliefs, or customs. The reason for the venders’ disdain may be due to their disapproval of foreigners and the possibility of those foreigners tampering or mishandling the “fancy” traditional art.

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/mex/id/500/rec/116

Mexican Man Kneeling Beside Dead Body

This photograph from 1910 was taken in Mexico and shows a dead man lying on the ground, a man kneeling beside him, and two more men surrounding them with horses. The men surrounding the dead man are assumed to be friends who are tending to the man. The photographer is close to the men when he captures the image, making the viewer feel part of the scene. While the people in the image do not seem rich, they have guns and horses which suggest that they are not especially poor either. This photograph begs several questions. What happened to the man? Why are the men surrounding a person who is already dead? Are they trying to help him?

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/search/collection/mex/searchterm/Ag1982.0015/mode/exact

Mexico Image

Bengal-Nagpur Railway Construction

BengalNagpur_Railway_Construction_Photograph_No_16Bengal-Nagpur Railway Construction

This image from 1890 depicts the construction of the Bengal-Nagpur railway in India. It was initially observed that the photographer captured this image at a bird’s eye angle, looking down at the railway. There are many men who appear to be young men working together with women to construct this bridge. These people appear to be poor economically. Additionally, this photo captures the landscape and scenery surrounding the scene. The mountains and trees stand out in the background of this image. It appears to be very hot and dry, which isn’t the ideal weather for bridge construction. The bridge itself looks very flimsy and dangerous. Looking at this picture, I am left with several questions. What is the purpose of this bridge? If this bridge is not of particular significance, why is it being photographed?http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/search/collection/eaa/searchterm/Ag1982.0044/mode/exact

 

Tranquility in India

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Tranquility in India
Banian Women in front of a Temple

This photo is of two Banian Women outside a house in front of a temple

From this photo of the two Banian Women, we can tell that these women are likely from the middle or upper caste as the length of their dresses imply that they would not be doing physical labor. These women while appearing to be displeased during the taking of the photograph could actually just be a reflection of the normal photographic etiquette of the time, as smiling was a cultural action of more modern photography. The photograph of these young women was taken in front of their house that was located near a Indian temple, and from quaint peaceful background we can infer that the photographer likely sought to take a charming and relaxing picture, but for what purpose was the photo taken? Looking closer at the temple, it seems that strangely up close and out of place, why are there only potted plants and no forestry around the area in the tropical Indian climate? I believe the photographer has made use of a temple cut-out to create an idea of the tranquility of India, but still with what reasoning did this occur? Likely this photo was taken to encourage people from Europe to make the journey to India and become soldiers, attempting to lure them with this doctored scene of peacefulness that was meant to appeal to the soldiers, basically a “Come to India, there are young women and exotic sites to behold”, this fits in the idea of the “White Man’s Burden” to protect the women of India from the unruly men. Altogether, this photo was likely a piece of propaganda for the purpose of bringing young European men to India to participate in the British Army.

 

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/eaa/id/715/rec/9

 

Indian Men, Women, and Children Constructing the Bengal-Nagpur Railway

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Indian Men, Women, and Children Constructing the Bengal-Nagpur Railway

Construction of Bengal Railroad

 

The Bengal-Nagpur Railway pioneered the way for future railroads and transportation in India. During the later half of the 19th century, British officials enlisted droves of Indian men and women as laborers for the construction of this railroad. This photograph illustrates just how many Indian workers the British solicited for manual labor and the hazardous working conditions that they were often faced with. In the photo, the laborers, at least one hundred strong, look up at the cameraman as they go about the tedious construction of the railroad. Men, women, and even younger children can be seen chiseling away at rock or carrying baskets of rubble. Another detail that catches your eye in the photograph is the haphazardly built bridge that these workers are using to cross over the ravine. It seems as if the British were more concerned with the timely, cost-effective construction of their railway than the safety or health of the Indians facilitating the work. Some questions that arise from the analysis of this photograph are approximately how much were native laborers compensated for their work and what was the mortality rate for them while working in these dangerous conditions.

 

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/eaa/id/1503

Execution of Mexican Revolutionaries

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Execution of Mexican Revolutionaries

Execution_in_Mexico

 

Taken between 1912 and 1917, this photograph depicts an execution in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. In the photo, American border troops stand watch in the background while two young, Mexican men are hung on a tree. An armed Mexican soldier poses in the foreground of the photograph. The Mexican soldier looks on without any emotion or expression in his face, perhaps questioning his role in his countrymen’s execution. While the white men in the background appear to be grudgingly overseeing the execution, squinting their eyes with their hands in their pockets. The scene takes place in an empty dirt field with what looks like a small ranch or house off in the distance. These observations lead me to question what the reason was for the execution of these young men and, furthermore, who exactly are the white men looking on at the execution in the photo?

 

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/mex/id/301

An Officer of the Mexican Rurales/ Bombay Police

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An_officer_of_the_Mexican_Rurales (1)

Mexico

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/mex/id/595/rec/36

The title of the photo is “An officer of the Mexican Rurales” which was photographed by Charles Burlingame Wait in 1904 in Mexico. Right away you can spot the officer holding a sword while on top of the horse. His surrounding seems consists of trees and appears to be supervising. The officer could be supervising other Rurales or over looking an election. He could also be patrolling the city that he was assigned to with other Rurales. Lastly the officer may be receiving his orders from the military about guarding the highway or railway since the background suggests that they’re outside of a city or out in the countryside. Does the sword represent his authority? How well respected were the Rurales?

Bombay Police

Bombay Police

India

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/eaa/id/677/rec/56

The title of the photo is “Bombay Police” which was taken by William Johnson some time in 1855-1862 in Mumbai, Maharashtia, India. There’s 4 officers posing for a picture and are holding a type of baton. The background suggests that the picture was taken in the city. The man that is sitting down in the chair seems to be in charge just by the different look of his uniform and how he has a walking stick of some kind instead of a baton. The man that is standing and the one sitting on the ledge could be lower level policemen since they seem to be intimidated by the two men that are sitting down. The man that is sitting on the ground could be second in command how he is placed on the right hand of the policemen who may be the chief and how his uniform also differs from the other policemen. Was the police force was ever corrupted by the British? Did the police force consist of enough men to control a riot from the people?

 

Settler’s impact on Indian and Mexican Worlds

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Fco_Villa_y_su_estado_mayor

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/mex/id/297/rec/264

This photo from Mexico depicts a group of men, presumably Mexican Revolutionaries, standing in a line. Each soldier is sporting a sombrero and holding a rifle, and all of the soldiers are covered in ammunition rounds all over their body. Not only do they stand there in a serious manner, but with a passion. Are they seeking liberty from the oppression brought to their country and land from colonialists? Perhaps, they are now taking action for the land that was once theirs; nothing but determination is shown on each face.

 

Tombs_of_the_Early_English_Settlers_Surat

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/eaa/id/687/rec/205

The photo from India captures the tombs of the early English settlers. The buried settlers are speculated to be Christopher Oxenden, Sir George Oxenden, first governor of Bombay, and Gerald Aungier, third Governor of Bombay. They are resting in what clearly is a gigantic tomb with spectacular early Indian architecture that almost resembles the Taj Mahal. What were the public views of these early settlers held by Indians during this time? Did they deserve to be buried in such a grand tomb?  This photo shows how wealth shifts very quickly to settlers from Indians as they set foot on their land.

Puente de Ozumba

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This is a picture of the Ozumba Bridge in Mexico, which was built from 1885-1895. In this photo there are 7 Mexican men on horseback in the lower right corner who appear to be soldiers. There are also a few men standing on top of the train cars and others sitting in one of the train cars. The train is not moving and is on a bridge. The bridge is held up by columns that are made of brick and metal. There are a few men in all white that are sitting or hanging on the column like structures. The terrain is rugged and there is a cliff to the right and left. The terrain in the center of the image is dry and rocky. There are small shrubs, bushes, and plants. Towards the back of the photo there is a group gathering with a nun in front. There are also a few houses and multiple trees. It seems as though the men in the white are the workers and the group on horseback towards the bottom right are giving orders. The construction of this railroad seems to be complete. I would like to know what the roles of each of the men are. I would also like to know why they are in all white. I am curios to know how strenuous the work was and how many workers it took to complete the railroad.

puente de ozumba

Bengal Nagpur Railway

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This photograph was taken in 1890 and depicts the construction of the Bengal-Nagpur railroad. In the photo there looks to be over a hundred people crowded along the side of the ditch and on the bridge. There are men as well as women and children. The women are wearing garnets and the men have on very little clothing. Most of the men appear to be wearing cloth head ware and shorts. The cliff side is very steep and there are two bridges, one leading down the cliff and the other leading across it. The bridges are made of rope and wood and they do not look sturdy. The terrain within about 50 yards of where the people are standing is very rocky and towards the edges of the photo, the viewer can see the forestation and hilltops. These Indian people are building a railroad in extreme heat. They seem to be very impoverished. I would like to know what the responsibilities of the children are. I would also like to know how long the construction of this railway took and what type of labor it involved.

bengal nagpur railway