Temple Tank, Tamil Nadu

c. 1860

Temple Tank, Tamil Nadu, c. 1860. Unknown, 19th century. Stereoscopic albumen print from glass plate negative; image: 7.4 x 7.7 cm (2 15/16 x 3 1/16 in.); mounted: 8.2 x 7.3 cm (3 1/4 x 2 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Daniella Dangoor 2019.72 The photographer has not only shown us this Hindu temple from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, but also one aspect of how people worshipped there: the ritual bath or cleansing. He placed the temple’s tank in the foreground, with ghats (steps leading into the water), bathers, and a temple chariot for the procession of bronzes during festivals occupying the middle ground. In the background is a high gopura, a gateway that leads into the temple’s grounds. When seen through a stereo viewer, the two images—each taken from a slightly different angle—create the illusion of a three-dimensional scene.