In search of the anonymous American photographer who recorded the Indian countryside in 1945

Fascinated by old photographs found in a shoebox, a US couple travelled halfway around the world to trace its mysterious origins.

In 1988, a couple in the windy city of Chicago visited an estate sale of a deceased friend and stumbled upon a shoebox of old photographs tucked under a couch. It contained more than a hundred envelopes filled with negatives and contact sheets for photographs depicting India in 1945. The identity of the photographer: unknown.

How did this set of sepia-toned images end up at a sale in Chicago four decades after they were taken? Alan Teller and Jerri Zbiral, who ended up buying that box full of pictures for $20, have been trying to solve the mystery ever since. "We are curious people, we always want to see what's in boxes," said Zbiral. "We found these pictures and were immediately drawn to them." The curiosity of the two artists took them halfway around the world to identify this anonymous photographer.

More: http://scroll.in/article/801771/on-the-box-trail-in-search-of-the-anonymous-american-photographer-who-recorded-the-indian-countryside-in-1945

Review: Singh, R. (1996). Tamil Nadu. New York: Distributed Art Publishers.

Raghubir Singh turned up in my FB newsfeed a few weeks ago, which sent me on a search for his work.  The only thing I was able to find is this 1996 volume on the state of Tamil Nadu, available through the UAE university library system.  

There are a variety of images here, including what look like typical tourist photos of temples, landscapes, and cityscapes.  There are also clearly abstract images, such as the shape of a tree shot in silhouette against the sun, coils of green pipe accented by a round mirror (reflecting the photographer), or a close-up of a mud carving of the face of a deity that is all swirls and whorls.  There are also a series of landscapes shot from with an automobile and framed by car windows, and the somewhat typical old/new contrasts, such as a satellite dish foregrounded against an ancient temple, or an electric fan between two ancient bronze statues.  

Much is made of Singh’s use of color.  He was, it appears, an early adopter, but I don’t see much color here that is especially redolent.  The collection does capture the essence of the India I have seen and know and evokes a feeling of nostalgia and the desire to travel again.  I look forward to exploring more of Mr Singh’s work.  

A small selection of images are available here:  http://121clicks.com/inspirations/raghubir-singh-inspiration-from-masters-of-photography

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