Edges of EmpireTextual evidence may provide the necessary information and evidence to understand the situations of a time in history, but very rarely do they paint a vivid picture of the circumstance at hand. This is where visual sources play a crucial role. Photographs of history not only give you a visual experience but also a textual
The Cotton Market, Bombay. Johnson, William. 1857. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but even those thousand words couldn’t begin to explain the importance of the picture above. Look at the surface of the photo and you’ll see Indian men and their cotton. Look deeper into the photo and you will
The picture Familiar Scene in Mexico during the Revolution of the Past Three Years created in 1913 captures 3 males, 2 of whom have been lynched and the third, an armed, presumably Mexican soldier, who seems to be either responsible for their lynching or guarding their bodies. The image is with woods and a home
“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
“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