Boston Public Library
James Fergusson Collection of Photographs of Indian Architecture
Detail from:
Gol Gumbaz, Vijayapura, India
James Fergusson (1808-1886) was an amateur architectural historian and the publisher of important works on architectural history, particularly the history of Indian architecture. The photographs in this collection were part of Fergusson's personal reference library, amassed while living a scholarly life a continent removed from the subject of his studies.
Born in Ayr, Scotland, Fergusson was educated for the mercantile trades and, after his schooling, traveled to India to work in his family's firm. During his time in India, he became interested in local architecture. His success in business provided the luxury to travel to various sites to survey and take measurements and to use a camera lucida to create images. The camera lucida was a precursor to the photographic camera that allowed the user to trace an image cast through a prism onto a sheet of paper allowing the visual recording of details and proper perspective.
While Fergusson left India for good in 1845, he continued to study and publish books on Indian architecture and world architecture, culminating in his three-volume work, History of Architecture. Fergusson states in the preface to his History of Indian and Eastern Architecture that "I possess…more than 3,000 photographs of Indian buildings, with which constant use has made me as familiar as with any other object that is perpetually before my eyes..."
The James Fergusson Collection at the Boston Public Library is one of the most important collections related to Indian architecture held in the United States. In addition, it is a representation of the importance of photography in the comparative study and the history of architecture.
Critical funding to support long-term preservation of and enhanced public access to Boston Public Library collections, including this one, was provided by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.
Born in Ayr, Scotland, Fergusson was educated for the mercantile trades and, after his schooling, traveled to India to work in his family's firm. During his time in India, he became interested in local architecture. His success in business provided the luxury to travel to various sites to survey and take measurements and to use a camera lucida to create images. The camera lucida was a precursor to the photographic camera that allowed the user to trace an image cast through a prism onto a sheet of paper allowing the visual recording of details and proper perspective.
While Fergusson left India for good in 1845, he continued to study and publish books on Indian architecture and world architecture, culminating in his three-volume work, History of Architecture. Fergusson states in the preface to his History of Indian and Eastern Architecture that "I possess…more than 3,000 photographs of Indian buildings, with which constant use has made me as familiar as with any other object that is perpetually before my eyes..."
The James Fergusson Collection at the Boston Public Library is one of the most important collections related to Indian architecture held in the United States. In addition, it is a representation of the importance of photography in the comparative study and the history of architecture.
Critical funding to support long-term preservation of and enhanced public access to Boston Public Library collections, including this one, was provided by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.