COVE

In this photographic portrait, Princess Victoria Gouramma is seated with her hands resting on her lap. Her right foot sits atop a cushioned footrest because of the chair’s height, while her left foot hangs behind it. Her body is directed slightly to the right of the photographer. Her ornate white dress contrasts sharply with the neutral, dark backdrop. Any detail in the rug is blurred, because the image is entirely focused on the Princess. Like the backdrop behind her, Princess Victoria Gouramma’s face is blank and expressionless, looking directly into the camera. However, this unemotional appearance was not uncommon for Victorian era photographs. Because producing the image took such a long time, picking a comfortable pose was practical. This may also be why the Princess is seated.

Unlike other photographic portraits of upper-class Indian women produced during this period, the Princess does not wear traditional Indian attire. Instead, the dress, hairstyle, and arrangement of the photograph reflect Western styles. Because the Princess was only thirteen at the time of the photograph and not yet a woman, her dress incorporates elements of children’s and ladies’ dress. The Princess’s voluminous skirt is composed of three layers of flounces with scalloped hems over stiffened petticoats that form a dome-shaped silhouette. The photograph, taken in 1854, predates the popularity of crinoline. Her dark bracelets, likely pieces of velvet, strikingly contrast the almost luminescent appearance of the dress.

Although this photograph was taken in 1854, the Princess’s dress emulates the layered flounces popular during the 1840s (Shrimpton 12). However, the billowing pagoda sleeves that came into fashion at mid-decade and that continued in popularity into the 1850s are not featured on the Princess’s dress. The torso of the dress features ruffles and frills, however, the waistline does not appear to be tightly laced. The dress’s relatively low neckline was common for girls during the early Victorian period (Shrimpton 50). Although dresses worn off the shoulder were usually stylistically associated with adult evening wear, the Princess’s bare arms and especially bare shoulders also reflect her young age. This amount of exposed skin would usually defy the conventions of modesty, however, in the early Victorian era, dresses for young girls reflected aspects of ladies’ fashionable evening wear, including lower necklines and shorter sleeves (Shrimpton 50).

The Princess’s hair similarly reflects styles popular during the 1840s, particularly the distinct central part and coverage of her ears (Shrimpton 12). The Princess’s hair is drawn back at the back of her head, but is still worn down into ringlets, which is indicative of her young age. Though seated, it is apparent that the Princess’s hemline does not quite reach the floor, another indication of her not yet reaching adulthood (Shrimpton 49). As young women got older, their hemlines lengthened as well.

Set against the dark backdrop, the Princess’s silhouette is striking. This quality may be attributed to the way in which the photograph was produced. Albumen prints were created by coating photographic paper with egg whites, or albumen (Reilly). The albumen paper was then treated with silver nitrate, which formed light-sensitive salts on the paper. Placing a glass negative directly onto the paper and exposing it to light formed an image on the glassy and smooth surface of the paper (Reilly). A gold solution was sometimes used to tone the images, which gave them a deeper brown color and protected against fading. Because albumen prints retained high quality detail and contrast better than older printing methods, producing albumen prints became the most popular method of photographic printing during the late 19^th century (Reilly).

However, this high-level of detail was not always associated with reproducing a copy of reality (Brevern 78). At the outset of the medium’s development, photography’s unpredictability led photographers to identify the unexpected in their photographs, that allowed them to see the real world in a new way that would otherwise be imperceptible (Brevern 76). This suggests that even in portraits, which were inherently intentionally staged, that photographs could reveal something deeper and truer about their subjects.

Although he is most famous for his documentary photography of the Crimean War, Roger Fenton is recognized for his work in several photographic genres, including architecture, landscape, portraiture, and still life (Daniel). For this reason, he is recognized as one of the most eminent photographers in the history of the medium. After gaining fame for his photographs of Kiev and Moscow in 1852, he founded the Photographic Society, later the Royal Photographic Society the following year (Daniel). In 1854, Fenton was appointed as the British Museum’s first official photographer (Daniel). In 1855, he won wide acclaim for his photographs of the Crimean War (Daniel).

Featuring the port of Balaklava, camps, terrain, and portraits of officers and other soldiers, Fenton’s typical body of work differs drastically from this full-length portrait of Princess Victoria Gouramma. Produced as a commission for Queen Victoria herself, the portrait of the Princess is significantly more formal than Fenton’s other portraits, many of which were taken in much more makeshift settings and feature military officers (Daniel). Created in a much more controlled, studio atmosphere—perhaps at the royal palace—this image of Princess Victoria Gouramma also displays significantly sharper contrast than Fenton’s other photographs. Because of his reputation, Fenton was likely selected as the photographer for this portrait of the Princess.

Princess Victoria Gowramma is depicted as a typical Victorian young lady. Other depictions of upper-class Indian women during this period were similarly posed through Western photographic conventions. However, these women are dressed in traditional attire to emphasize their Indian heritage (Vellam). The fact that Princess Victoria Gowramma is depicted as so extensively integrated into the conventions of Victorian womanhood reflects both her literal adoption into the royal family and symbolizes British dominance over India, and Coorg specifically. While other photographs of India were intended to justify British imperialism by depicting how India could benefit from imperial intervention, this photograph is intended to demonstrate a successful assimilation into British society (Holland). Although a blank visage was the norm in Victorian portraiture, the Princess’s expression is not placid and conveys deep melancholy. Despite winning the Queen’s favor and becoming integrated into the royal family, Princess Victoria Gowramma was removed from her home, deposed from her throne, and forced to convert to Christianity at 11 years old (The Royal Parks). Despite looking the part, the trappings of Victorian femininity were not ideal for Princess Victorian Gowramma.

Works Cited

Daniel, Malcolm. “Roger Fenton (1819-1869).” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 2004. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rfen/hd_rfen.htm. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.

Fenton, Roger. “Princess Victoria Gouramma of Coorg (1841-64).” November 1854. Albumen print. The Royal Collection Trust, London. https://www.rct.uk/collection/2906574/princess-victoria-gouramma-of-coorg-1841-64. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.

Holland, Oscar. “What these rare images of 19^th-century India tells us about colonial rule.” CNN Style, https://www.cnn.com/style/article/india-photography-19th-century/index.html. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.

Reilly, James M. “The History, Technique and Structure of Albumen Prints.” AIC Preprints, May 1980. https://cool.culturalheritage.org/albumen/library/c20/reilly1980.html. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.

The Royal Parks. “Princess Victoria Gowramma (1841-1864).” https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/brompton-cemetery/explore-brompton-cemetery/princess-victoria-gouramma. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.

Shrimpton, Jayne. Victorian Fashion. Shire, 2016.

Vellam, Nadia. “Vintage Studio Portraits of Indian Women from the Peak of British Colonialism.” New York Times Style Magazine, 10 Apr. 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/t-magazine/tasveer-foundation-subjects-spaces-women-in-indian-photography.html. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.