Although the most widely recognized photographers working
in 19th-century India were British, many native photographers also helped
picture their country. Shivashanker Narayen set up his studio, which became a favorite
among the Indian aristocracy, on the premises of the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy
School of Art in Bombay. He showed his work at British-sponsored
and overseas exhibitions, participated in the Archaeological Survey of India
between 1868 and 1869, and documented the Calcutta International Exhibition of
1883. This photograph is a quiet image of daily life on the streets as a barber
tends to his client.