Photographic Collections
The Royal Asiatic Society has almost 100 different collections of photographs, containing several thousand images, dating back to the middle of the nineteenth century. The Society’s photographic collections are a valuable source of information about the cultural and physical heritage of many different parts of Asia. But they’re also useful for understanding the history of photography itself. These pages contain a small selection of the Society’s photographic holdings.
[Photo.27/(001)] Teberda, a Christian temple on the River Assa (view from the east)
General view of a ruined stone chapel, with a Georgian man standing to the left of the building. Part of…
[Photo.27/(002)] Magiezda Sanctuary near Salgi village, Hamhin community
View looking across valley towards wooded hill with a group of buildings on the summit. A pencilled note on the…
[Photo.27/(003)] Towers in Hani ‘aul’
View of two tapering rectangular stone towers set among ruined buildings on hillside. An ‘aul’ is the name given to…
[Photo.27/(004)] Ljadah ‘aul’ [village] of Hamhin community
View looking towards partly ruined hillside village, with three standing towers similar to those seen in print 3. Pencilled note on…
[Photo.27/(005)] Tourists arriving at Arzee village of the Mechal’ community
View looking down onto a group of visitors standing among masonry towers and walls. Pencilled note on mount reads: ‘Arzee…
[Photo.27/(006)] The Armhi River Valley, Arzzi ‘aul’ [village]
View looking towards village on summit of hill. Part of a collection of eight loose prints on decorative card mounts…
[Photo.27/(007)] The Seska-Solsa Chapel near Salgi village, Hamhin community
View looking along narrow limestone ridge towards the small chapel perched overlooking the valley. Pencilled note on mount reads: ‘Seska-Solsa (?)….
[Photo.27/(008)] Ingush woman weaving
Ingush woman seated at loom, with other figures posed behind. Part of a collection of eight loose prints on decorative…
[Photo.31/(001)] Dancing girls of the Arampone of Bone
Malino Conference, July 1946. Dancing girls of the Arampone of Bone. July 1946.
[Photo.31/(003)] Dancing girls of the Arampone of Bone
Dancing Girls of the Arampone of Bone. Malino Conference, July 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(004)] Dancing girls of the Arampone of Bone
Dancing Girls of the Arampone of Bone. Malino Conference, July 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(006)] Dancing girls of the Arampone of Bone
Dancing Girls of the Arampone of Bone. Malino Conference, July 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(008)] Dancing girls of the Rajah of Goa
Dancing Girls of the Rajah of Goa. Malino Conference, July 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(010)] Dancing Girls of the Rajah of Goa
Dancing Girls of the Rajah of Goa. Malino Conference, July 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(012)] Mountain View, Malino
View of lightly wooded mountain scenery. Malino Conference, July 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(013)] Member of the guard of honour
A member of the guard of honour, which welcomed the Lieutenant Governor General. Malino Conference, July 1946. Netherlands East Indies…
[Photo.31/(014)] Rider of Goa
A rider of Goa, one of the guard of honour which welcomed the Lieutenant Governor General. Malino Conference, July 1946….
[Photo.31/(015)] Pipe band of the Patiala Regiment
The pipe band of the Patiala Regiment plays at the parade held in honour of the King’s Official Birthday on…
[Photo.31/(016)] Bandmaster of the Patiala Regiment
Bandmaster of the Patiala Regiment at the King’s Birthday Parade, Batavia. Ca. 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(019)] Piper of the Patiala Regiment
Piper of the Patiala Regiment playing at the parade on the King’s Official Birthday on June 13th on the Koningsplein,…
[Photo.31/(022)] Indonesian man, Jakarta
Indonesian man, Batavia. Ca. 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(024)] Guard of honour on horseback
Guard of honour on horseback, possibly at the Malino Conference, July 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(025)] Group of male and female military personnel
Informal group of male and female military personnel. Caption note: “Some have sworn to grow their hair long until the…
[Photo.31/(026)] Republican Army Sentry
Caption note: “TRI (Republican Army) sentry outside Mv. Shahur’s house.” Ca. 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(027)] Indonesian man
Full-length standing portrait of an unidentified Indonesian man. Ca. 1946. Netherlands East Indies Information Service.
[Photo.31/(028)] Sculpture of Durga from Indonesia
Postcard of thirteenth-century sculpture of Durga from Indonesia, in the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden. 1930s.
[Photo.31/(030)] Floating market, Bangkok
Snapshot of traders in their boats in one of the floating markets of Bangkok. 1940s.
[Photo.31/(033)] Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon
View looking towards the spire of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon, the lower portion of the temple concealed by trees….
[Photo.31/(034)] Shrine, Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon
General view of shrine, with ornately carved wooden pyatthat roof. Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon. 1940s.
[Photo.31/(035)] Shrine, Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon
View looking towards entrance to shrine, Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon. People in foreground. 1940s.
[Photo.31/(036)] Temple spire, Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon
View of the temple spire, Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon. 1940s.
[Photo.31/(037)] Shrines, Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon
View of shrines on the platform of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, with two young newspaper sellers posed in foreground. Rangoon,…
[Photo.31/(039)] Pagoda, Burma
The entrance to the Sule Pagoda in Yangon, Burma. Photograph from the 1940s.
[Photo.31/(042)] Massive Reclining Buddha
Massive reclining Buddha at the Shwethalyaung Pagoda in Bago, Burma. Photograph from the 1940s.
[Photo.31/(043)] Massive Reclining Buddha
Close view of head and upper torso of a massive reclining Buddha at the Shwethalyaung Pagoda in Bago, Burma. Photograph…
[Photo.31/(044)] Ploughing, Kelantan
Yacob bin Drahman ploughing at Kampong Kluat, Kelantan (with Indian ‘humped’ cattle). Caption note: “Photo given me in England by…
[Photo.31/(045)] Tibetan Priest and Priestess
Postcard view of Tibetan priest and priestess, holding prayer wheels. 1940s.
[Photo.33/(001)] Studio portrait of a water carrier
Studio portrait of a water carrier. Handwritten signature of Sevruguin in Cyrillic. Part of a set of seven faded photographs…
[Photo.33/(002)] Water pipes [hookahs]
Photograph of a hookah seller in a studio setting. Part of a set of seven faded photographs depicting trades and…
[Photo.33/(003)] Studio portrait of a barber and his customer
Studio portrait of a barber and his customer. Handwritten signature of Sevruguin in Cyrillic. Part of a set of seven…
[Photo.33/(004)] Studio portrait of a group of Persian women, all veiled
Studio portrait of a group of Persian women, all veiled. Part of a set of seven faded photographs depicting trades…
[Photo.33/(005)] Studio portrait of a butcher
Portrait of a Persian butcher in a studio setting. Part of a set of seven faded photographs depicting trades and…
[Photo.33/(006)] Studio portrait of a man and two women squatting beside a bowl, presumably filled with charcoal
Studio portrait of a man and two women squatting beside a bowl, presumably filled with charcoal. Handwritten signiture of Sevruguin…
[Photo.33/(007)] Dervishes
Studio portrait of two dervishes. Part of a set of seven faded photographs depicting trades and types from the late…
[Photo.34/(001)] Amaravati (no. 9 and 30)
View of two excavated pieces. The reference numbers allocated to the pieces refer to Robert Sewell’s ‘Report on the Amaravati…
[Photo.34/(002)] Amaravati (no. 18)
Photograph of excavated fragment sculpture panel showing horseman and attendant figures. The reference number allocated to the piece refers to…
[Photo.34/(003)] Amaravati (no. 21)
Excavated sculpture fragment of lower half of figures of two maidens and a man. The reference number allocated to the…
[Photo.34/(004)] Amaravati (nos. 26, 27, 28 in situ)
Photograph of three excavated lotus discs (Nos. 26, 27, 28 in situ). The reference numbers allocated to the pieces refer to…
[Photo.34/(005)] Amaravati (no. 36)
Excavated portion of bas-relief panel showing lion attacking a man with a tape measure laid across the piece to indicate…
[Photo.34/(006)] Amaravati (no. 46)
Photograph of an excavated sculpture panel [empty throne at centre]. Photograph formed from two joined prints. The reference number allocated…
[Photo.34/(007)] Amaravati (no. 47)
Excavated sculpture panel showing Buddha images and stupas. See also print 8. The reference number allocated to the piece refers…
[Photo.34/(008)] Amaravati (nos. 47, 48)
Photograph of two excavated sculpture panels, a clearer view of the piece seen in print 7 and another panel of…
[Photo.34/(009)] Amaravati (no. 52)
Photograph of excavated sculpture panel of Buddha images and other figures. The reference number allocated to the piece refers to…
[Photo.34/(010)] Amaravati (nos. 65, 29, 53)
Photograph of three sculptural and architectural fragments. The reference numbers allocated to the pieces refer to Robert Sewell’s ‘Report on…
[Photo.34/(011)] Amaravati (nos. 22, 55, 68)
Photograph of three architectural and sculptural fragments [lotus disc, left side of face and breast of woman with leaves behind…
[Photo.34/(012)] Amaravati (no. 69)
Photograph of excavated sculpture piece. The reference number allocated to the piece refers to Robert Sewell’s ‘Report on the Amaravati…
[Photo.34/(013)] Amaravati (nos. 70, 71, 72)
Photograph of three excavated sculptural fragments. The reference numbers allocated to the pieces refer to Robert Sewell’s ‘Report on the…
[Photo.34/(014)] Main street of Amaravati (looking South)
General view looking along the tree-lined main street. Original negative not held. Part of a collection of twenty albumen prints…
[Photo.34/(015)] Amaravati. General view of excavations, 1877, taken from the southern side of the circle
Panoramic view composed of two joined prints, looking across the site, with diggers posed for the photographer. The print is…
[Photo.34/(016)] The Krishna River at Amaravati, looking N.E., from the Rajah’s Residence
General view across the river plain. Faded print. Original negative not held. Part of a collection of twenty albumen prints…
[Photo.34/(017)] Amaravati. Excavations, 1877. General view of the platform as unearthed.
View formed from two joined prints, of portion of excavated site, showing pieces in situ. Faded print. Original negative not…
[Photo.34/(018)] Amaresvaraswami Temple at Amaravati (looking north)
General view of a temple. Poor quality print. Original negative not held. Part of a collection of twenty albumen prints…
[Photo.34/(019)] Amaresvaraswami Temple at Amaravati (looking south from rocks in the river-bed)
General view looking towards a temple. Poor quality print. Original negative not held. Part of a collection of twenty albumen…
[Photo.34/(020)] The Fort wall of Dharamkota [Dharanikota], from the Krishna riverbank
General view looking towards remains of Fort wall at Dharanikota, the ancient centre of Buddhist learning near Amaravati.An indistinct print….
[Photo.35/(003)] Daulatabad Fort, Nizam’s Territory
Daulatabad Fort, Nizam’s Territory. Part of a collection of 64 loose prints of archaeological subjects, mainly material taken or commissioned…
[Photo.35/(004)] Street in Laxmeshwar
Laxmeshwar – the view looking along a street towards a mosque. Photographed by Henry Cousens and published 1880-1889. With a technical…