8908.a.14

Imprint: Bombay: printed at the Education Society's Press, Byculla. 1877.

Octavo, original blue cloth binding with title 'Photography in Hindostan. Rs. 4,' stamped in gilt on upper board, measuring 163 x 121 mm, pp. vi, [1], 202. The book contains two original prints illustrating animal portraiture and a lithographed diagram of a portable photographic studio-cum-darkroom. This manual on the requirements for successful photography in the Indian subcontinent aims 'to make you acquainted with the sort of life you may expect should you ever feel inclined to become a travelling photographer, and with the methods you should pursue to be a successful one' (Preface, iii). Topics covered include equipping a portable studio, photographic chemistry, portrait technique and lighting and a chapter on 'Some experiences and incidents in the field.' Blees' origins are unknown, although in his preface he apologises for any awkwardness of expression by asking his British readers to bear in mind 'that I was not born in the land of your fathers.' He also states that he had only taken up photography four years' previously. As well as his early years as a travelling photographer, he later maintained studios in Jabalapur (c. 1882-99), Calcutta (c. 1887-c. 1933) and Lahore (c. 1893-98), although Blees himself probably left India in the 1890s.For another copy, see shelfmark T.3508.