Half-length portrait of a man against a plain background by an unknown photographer of the early 1860s. Part of the background has also been filled in in the negative to make the figure's head stand out more prominently. The identification as a Manipuri (north-eastern India) is only tentative. This print is one of a series of portrait studies of individuals and groups from Eastern Bengal (modern Bangladesh and Assam). It is possible that they were taken in response to the Government of India's call for photographs representing various ethnic types from across the sub-continent.
Source: British Library