Fancy Group, Indore I

Discussion

FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG

Entertainments at “fancy dress” or costume parties often included amateur theatricals or tableaux vivants —static scenes drawn from literature, history, or artworks. Here, Deen Dayal captured three moments distilled from a popular novel or play. The guests—all middle or upper class—perform as characters ranging from the working class to ladies and gentlemen. The woman holding a bucket labeled “Emma Brown of Margate” was likely playing a fishwife selling her husband’s catch. Because the photographic technology of the time required strong daylight, the photographs would have been made on a separate occasion, not at the party.

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