Volume-II, Special Issue, February 2026
Novel Insights A Peer-Reviewed Quarterly Multidisciplinary Research Journal |
Volume-II, Special Issue, February 2026 |
Visual Representation and the Making of Darjeeling in the Colonial Period: Power, Landscape and the Colonial Gaze Mr. Rishu Rai, Assistant Professor, Dept. of History, Chopra Kamala Paul Smriti Mahavidyalaya, Uttar Dianjpur, West Bengal, India Email: rishurai526@gmail.com |
Received: 01.01.2026 | Accepted: 20.02.2026 | Published Online: 28.02.2026 |
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Abstract | ||
This paper explores how visual representation shaped European ideas about Darjeeling and the Himalayan region during the colonial period. It argues that photography was not a neutral record of reality, but a powerful tool that supported colonial power, imagination and control. Through photographs that appeared truthful and objective, Darjeeling was presented as a peaceful, beautiful and healthy hill station. The study focuses on the works of two important British photographers, Samuel Bourne and John Claude White. Bourne’s photographs followed the Romantic idea of the sublime, showing the Himalayas as grand and spiritually uplifting landscapes where nature dominated and human figures appeared small. These images suggested the reach and authority of the British Empire over distant and majestic spaces. In contrast, John Claude White’s photography served official and administrative purposes. His images of landscapes, rulers, monasteries and local communities transformed people and cultures into visual records that supported colonial knowledge and governance. The paper also examines how colonial photographers constructed an exotic image of Darjeeling by highlighting scenic beauty while ignoring labour exploitation and social hardship. Circulated widely in Europe, these photographs shaped popular imagination and helped justify colonial presence. The paper concludes by stressing the need to read colonial visual representation and critically analyse their political meanings and recover marginalized voices. Keywords: Colonial photography, Darjeeling, Colonial gaze, Himalayas, Imperial power, Exotic landscape | ||