Photo 53

Collection of 45 loose prints mounted on contemporary card, tipped into modern window mounts, with pencilled captions (modern) written on reverse of print mount. The collection shows architectural and topographical views of locations associated with the Indian Uprising of 1857–58 at Delhi, Agra, Cawnpore (Kanpur), Lucknow, Dehra Dun and Mussoorie.

Robert and Harriet Tytler took up photography shortly after the conclusion of the Siege of Delhi, and were assisted in their early efforts by the veteran photographer John Murray and Felice Beato. A large collection of their negatives was shown to a meeting of the Photographic Society of Bengal in March 1859, and their work was subsequently described in the report of the meeting published in The Englishman on 31 March:

'Major Tytler exhibited a most interesting and valuable collection of Calotype negatives, forming perhaps the finest series that has ever been exhibted to the Society. Major Tytler took occasion to observe that he is quite a novice in Photography, having only been working at it about six months altogether. He commenced in 1858 at Delhi, after the siege, in hopes of assisting Mrs Tytler in a splendid panorama, which she was then painting in oils, of the palace. Major Tytler's photographs were much admired, not only as being very fine specimens of the Calotype process, but also for the happy selection of his subjects, which clearly shewed the eye of the artist. He wished it to be understood that the full merit of his photographs did not lie with himself; that Mrs Tytler, who is a most successful photographer, not only selected most of the subjects, but even developed the pictures herself ... The collection included views of most places rendered notable during the mutiny, and were taken at Delhi, Mussoorie, Landour, Meerut, Roorkie, Cawnpore, Lucknow, Benares and Agra, in all nearly five hundred negatives. Major Tytler took occasion to express how much he was indebted for assistance to the kindness of Dr. Murray and M. Beato...'

At a subsequent meeting of the society on 19 May 1859 (reported in The Englishman of 28 May 1859), a selection of prints, 'unquestionably the finest ever exhibited in Calcutta,' was shown to members, since at the earlier meeting 'Major Tytler knew nothing of positive printing. Since then, assisted by Mrs. Tytler, he has produced a collection of positive prints which do ample justice to his admirable negatives.'

Prints from the Tytler's negatives were subsequently advertised for sale in several issues of The Englishman from 20 June 1859.