Description

This cabinet card depicts Maharaja Sir Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga (1858–1898), one of the most distinguished Indian rulers of the late nineteenth century. Photographed by Bourne & Shepherd in the 1880s, the bust-length portrait presents the Maharaja wearing an embroidered ceremonial cap and traditional attire. Ruler of the wealthy Darbhanga Raj in present-day Bihar, Lakshmeshwar Singh was celebrated for his progressive administration, extensive philanthropy, and patronage of education, medicine, and public institutions. During the Bihar famine of 1873–1874, he financed large-scale relief efforts, constructed roads, bridges, and irrigation works, and became widely respected for his humanitarian leadership. The portrait was likely produced at Bourne & Shepherd’s Calcutta (Kolkata) studio, the firm’s principal commercial studio and the one most closely associated with commissions from eastern Indian aristocracy. It is accompanied by a contemporary pencil inscription on the reverse identifying the sitter as the “Maharaja of Darbhanga.”

Condition

Thin albumen print mounted on the original cabinet card. Light overall toning with scattered foxing and age-related surface wear. Minor edge and corner wear to the mount, with a pencil inscription on the reverse identifying the sitter as the “Maharaja of Darbhanga.” Overall, a well-preserved example with a strong image and good contrast.

References

Dehejia, Vidya, ed. India Through the Lens: Photography 1840–1911. Washington, DC: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 2000.

Falconer, John. A Shambles Among the Himalayas: Photographs by Samuel Bourne, 1863–1870. London: The British Library, 2002.

Ghosh, Benoy Bhusan. Bourne & Shepherd: A History of Photography in India. Kolkata: Firma KLM, 1998.

Shukla, Rajkumar. Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga. New Delhi: Publications Division, Government of India, 1998.

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