Agra. Diwan-i-Chas

1890

Agra. Diwan-i-Chas, 1890. Photoglob Co. (Zurich, active c. 1890–1910). Photochrom; image: 20.3 x 26.5 cm (8 x 10 7/16 in.); paper: 20.3 x 26.5 cm (8 x 10 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the Karl B. Goldfield Trust 2018.214 This Hall of Private Audiences was built by Shah Jahan, who commissioned the Taj Mahal. There, he and the succeeding Mughal emperors met with courtiers and important guests. Several men in European dress exit the hall, while men in native garb labor in the lush gardens. The tiny figures emphasize the building’s grand scale. The rosy sky was an imaginative addition by the printers, as this print is based on a black-and-white photograph.