Step by Step
No overview found
Grand buildings and missionary work come together in the 1947 Indian tour of construction magnate John W. Laing.
No overview found
In an age when women were incapable of joining the artistic dialogue, Lilias Trotter managed to win the favour of celebrated critics.
Amateur shots of pilgrims and temples at Haridwar, followed by rural scenes and the Gorrie family at home.
An astonishing English tourist’s view of street life in pre-partition Srinagar and Kashmir.
Amateur film of fishing and geese-shooting trips by a British party in India.
Life in the bustling Punjabi city of Rawalpindi before partition.
This travelogue takes in some of the most important landmarks of Islamic power in India.
Luscious colour photography of the Taj Mahal and a Mediterranean cruise to Port Said.
Two sides of Mysore: down to earth with the field workers and an Indian spectacle for the Maharaja.
A scenes from a tour of Manipur State and a women's bazaar in Imphal.
Armoured elephants, sacred monkeys and a camel carriage from Rajasthan.
Filmed in 1938, less than a decade before Indian independence, Delhi has a curious tale to tell. ‘Delhi’, the viewer is informed, ‘is the cockpit of the Indian Empire’, it provides the ‘gateway to the riches of the south’. The opening sections of the film focus upon those who have tried and failed to establish a lasting power in the capital. ‘At Delhi’, the commentator states, ‘successive cities have been built by conquering invaders – each has fallen into disuse and decay’. The camerawork focuses on the ‘impressive ruins’ of these earlier invaders. Although the film also depicts the enduring architecture of Muslim rulers, such as Akbar and Shahjahan, it is stressed that their power has been superseded. Legend has it that it will be the ninth city of Delhi that ‘will endure and will rule forever’. Shahjahan had built the eighth.
Traditional games, dancing and music among the people of Sikkim - in vivid colour.
The future Edward VIII opens a durbar and enjoys a day at the races before inspecting the fire brigade in Calcutta.
A stunning display by Nyishi tribesmen from the hills of Arunachal Pradesh, north-eastern India.
Snapshots of colonial life around Tamil Nadu, plus a visit to the Toda tribe.
The thronging streets of Chennai in festive mood are captured by this lively amateur film.
Millions of Muslims flee to Lahore in the newly created state of Pakistan, prompted by the partition of British India.
Dignitaries including the Nizam of Hyderabad gather to celebrate the Durbar in honour of George V, who arrives by boat in Bombay.
A motorist's excursion captures a world made by hand in the environs of Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi.