Photo 972, 7(387)

Genre: Ethnographical Photography

Full-length seated portrait, taken at Maheshwar between the end of May and 7 June. 'Personally Tukajee Rao Holkar is a most courteous prince, alike to his subjects as to the English around him; and were he as steady in his administrative capacity as his fine talents should make him, there would not be a more popular, or a more practically useful native prince in India, and this he may yet become by experience. He is much interested in education, and in his college at Indore instruction in English as well as in native languages is soundly imparted.' Waterhouse's own notes make clear his dissatisfaction with this portrait: 'I left Mundlaisir [Mandleshwar] on the 30th May and arrived the same day at Maheysir [Maheshwar], the residence of the Maharajah Holkar. I paid him a visit and arranged to take his portrait. Owing to the great heat my bath had got slightly out of order, and I found it difficult totake a satisfactory likeness of His Highness. After about twelve trials I had to be satisfied with one of the earlier plates, a not altogether good one, and had arranged that, having cured my bath, I should again try his picture, and also take likenesses of his Thakoors; however, when I got up next morning, and was preparing to go to the Palace, I was told that the Maharajah had set off for Indore in the night...' A further attempt to photograph the Maharaja at Indore in October was similarly thwarted by the sudden departure of Holkar (Government of India Foreign Consultations (General), July 1863, p. 35, IOR/P/205/4).

Subjects = ethnic groups; Indian rulers; printed books; Rajputs; Watson and Kaye, 'People of India' (8 vols, 1868-75); Watson and Kaye, 'People of India' (vol 7, 1872)