4023 - Ceylon

Ceylon Photographers: Scowen & Co. (active 1876–1893), The Colombo Apothecaries Co. Ltd. (active ca. 1892–1920s), and unknown. Portraits and “Types” from Ceylon. 1880s–1900. 6 albumen prints. Various sizes ranging from 26.3 x 21 cm to 22.3 x 29 cm. 3 prints credited on the negative as “Scowen & Co., Ceylon”; 1 marked “C.A. Co. Ltd.”; 1 print numbered “773.” Handwritten captions include “Kandyan Chiefs & Ladies. Ceylon.” and “Brahman Man Woman”; the original caption “Veddahs” appears on the negative of one print. The collection includes formal portraits of Kandyan families and a young girl, a couple in ceremonial dress, a coffee picker, and a portrait of two Vedda men. It combines commissioned or carefully staged portraits with commercial images produced for the late nineteenth-century travel market. The historical captions reflect the colonial vocabulary through which Ceylon’s communities were marketed at the time. – Some mounts have handling creases, scattered foxing, soiling, edge tears, and small losses; one mount has old adhesive staining on the reverse; prints have occasional surface scuffs and scratches; several sheets are slightly curled, but otherwise the prints retain strong tones and good detail.