Lucknow in the 19th century – Vintage Pictures
By Somali K Chakrabarti
Lucknow, the city of Nawabs, was also once the city of adab and tehzeeb (etiquette and manners).
Refined speech, manners, art, literature, poetry and “Nawabi” style cuisines once marked the culture of the city.
The capital city of Uttar Pradesh, on the bank of River Gomati, has a cultural legacy shared by Hindus and Muslims, with a strong influence of Persian court culture. The nobility consisted mainly of Shiite Muslims, who traced back their ancestry to Persia.
Peppered with Persian vocabulary and idioms, Udru language spoken in Lucknow was known for its elegance, expressiveness and extreme politeness. Lucknow Urdu played a key role in the city’s cultural milieu.
Lucknow first attained prominence in the 15th century under the sultans of Jaunpur. Later it was ruled by Mughal governors. By the 17th century, Lucknow was a prosperous commercial centre, and continued to flourish till 1856 as the capital of the independent Nawabs of Avadh (originally governors under the Mughals).
The city’s culture evolved under the patronage of the Nawabs and Lucknow became a flourishing centre for the art, literature, poetry (ghazals , sher-o-shayari), music (qawwali, thumri) and dance (kathak).
Courtesans were frequent performers at the palaces of the Nawabs. These influential elite women actively shaped the developments in music and dance styles.
Here is a collection of vintage pictures of some of the hallmark structures of the city.
Bara Imambara, ca 1860
Imambaras were important religious buildings in Lucknow, in which the ceremony of Muharram was conducted. The most important Imambara in Lucknow is the Asafi or the Bara (Big) Imambara, a colossal edifice constructed in 1784, at a cost of two million rupees during the reign of Nawab Asaf-ud-daulah.
Rumi Darwaza, ca 1824
Rumi Darwaza was an imposing gateway, built by Asaf–ud–daula in 1784. The huge elaborate gate, erected just beside the Bara Imambara, is said to be modelled on one of the original gateways to Constantinople.
Dilkhusha Garden
The Dilkusha Palace in an Indianised European style was built by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan (ruled 1798-1814), as a hunting retreat, set in extensive grounds. The house is said to be modelled on Vanbrugh’s Seaton Delaval in Northumberland.
Moti Mahal, ca 1860
Moti Mahal (or Pearl Palace) of Lucknow was named after its pearl-shaped dome. It is is located along the Gomti river and was commissioned by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan (r. 1798-1814). It appears to have been built for purposes of defence, or to keep a check on the advance of an enemy.
Chattar Manzil
The Chattar Manzil or Umbrella Palaces (1820s) were ‘so named for their distinctive, triple umbrella pavilaions or chatris which ornament the domes. It served as the palace for the rulers of Awadh and their wives. The larger or Greater Chattar Manzil had three storeys with tehkhanas or suites of underground rooms. The Lesser Chattar Manzil comprises of government offices. Both are impressive architectural hybrids.
Chota Imambara
The Chhota Imanbara is also known as the Husainabad Imambara or Palace of Lights. It was built between 1837 and 1842 by Muhammed Ali Shah to serve as a mausoleum. The complex consists of a forecourt and main court. The imambara is located within the main court and has two tombs on either side. A gilded dome dominates the building and is covered with minarets, small domes, arches and a miniature replica of the Taj Mahal.
Kaiserbagh Baradari, ca 1880
The Kaiserbagh complex was built by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (ruled 1847-56), and was much damaged and looted in 1858. A baradari (a house twelve-doors) was an elegant nawabi-style pavilion, which together with gardens was an essential feature of much secular architecture in Lucknow. The Kaiserbagh Baradari, square in plan, stood in the middle of the palace complex, and contained a number of collonnaded halls of varying sizes.
Residency
Lucknow suffered the devastation and ruin of a British onslaught aimed at crushing the revolt during the Indian Sepoy Mutiny in 1857.
The Residency Building, built in c.1800 for the British Resident in Lucknow, was a key site of the Siege of Lucknow during the Uprising of 1857. It was sieged twice then recaptured in March 1858 by British forces under Sir Colin Campbell. Approximately 3000 British inhabitants took refuge within the complex. The surviving ruins of the Residency convey the grandeur of the original structure and provide an insight to the events of 1857.
Looting and ransacking of the palaces by the British troops followed by dynamiting of large tracts of the city, were devastating blows from which Lucknow never quite recovered. Few buildings that survived the events of 1858, were restored and maintained, yet even many of these structures lie in a neglected and decrepit state.
The succeeding years saw the fading away of rich traditions and practices and the decline of Lucknow from a center of cultural excellence into a city struggling to preserve its heritage.
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19th-century Lucknow through the lenses of homegrown photographers
In the 19th century, the city of Lucknow witnessed one of the most defining moments in India’s history – the war of 1857. Perhaps it is for this reason, (and the simultaneous rise of photography), that there exist several “albums” and “views” of the city. These photos, are now at museums and libraries in both Europe and India – and to our delight, available digitally. Many of these are by photographers well-known to audiences today – such as Samuel Bourne and Felice Beato.
This article spotlights the lesser-known Lucknow-photographers (of the 19th century) who worked within a more limited, local network.
Ahmad Ali Khan alias Chhotey Mian (active 1850s-1862)
(Nawab) Ahmad Ali Khan is hailed as the “first photographer” of Avadh. Scholars have traced the beginning of his photography career to an encounter with the French tourist, Baron Alexis de La Grange. At the time, Ahmad Ali Khan was an architect, known for designing Lucknow’s Kaiserbagh; the Darogah (Superintendent) of the Husainabad Imambara.
Khan learned to produce both daguerreotypes and photographic prints and would not charge any fee for creating photographs. He was also the “court photographer”, and thus had unrestricted access to the royal family (including the women).
Ahmad Ali was simultaneously popular amidst British officers. His extensive work in portraiture, scattered across collections today (like the British Library) are a testament to his respectability and network.
During the 1857 War, reports had emerged that he employed photography as a tool to document information crucial for the “rebels”. Although Khan was against the British during the strife, he was nominated to be a member of the Bengal Photographic Society after 1858.
Mushkoor-ud-Daulah & Asghar Jan (1860s-70s)
Mushkoor-ud-Daulah and his brother Asghar Jan operated a studio in Kaisar Bagh. Many of the from their studio are co-signed or bear the signature of ‘Mushkooroodowlah’ and his insignia.
Darogha Ubbas Ali (mid 1860s – 1880s)
“Ubbas Ali” was a municipal engineer in 19th century Lucknow. His photos of Lucknow in the 1870s, published as The Lucknow Album in 1874 capture 50 historically important places.
His other work, “Beauties of Lucknow” – an album featuring female performers and costumed actors from the Indar Sabha – made him the only Indian photographer in the 19th century to publish his work in book form.
You can see more photos by Ubbas Ali, here.
These early photographers from Lucknow may not have achieved the same widespread recognition as their European counterparts. Their images, though offer a unique and invaluable record of the city’s architecture, and social dynamics during a transformative period in Indian history.
