Untitled (Portrait of a Woman in Gray Sari and Veil)

1900s

Untitled (Portrait of a Woman in Gray Sari and Veil), 1900s. India, 20th century. Gelatin silver print, hand colored; image: 15 x 10.9 cm (5 7/8 x 4 5/16 in.); paper: 15 x 10.9 cm (5 7/8 x 4 5/16 in.); mounted: 16.3 x 12 cm (6 7/16 x 4 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John Cook Memorial Fund 2017.11 This hand-tinted portrait photograph is a modern example of a tradition in Indian painting that extends back to the mid-1800s. Having a photograph hand painted required an extra charge, but made the portraits more lifelike and endowed them with the status of a luxury item, akin to painted portraiture.