TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY – 154

 When an Image Becomes Evidence

In 1892, in a letter written from Baroda, a young monk wrote to his friend, “Of course, I have seen the library and the pictures by Ravi Varma, and that is about all worth seeing here.” These words of appreciation did not come from an ordinary monk, but from Swami Vivekananda, who, in less than a year, would deliver his iconic address at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago.

In 1893, Chicago attracted visitors from across the globe for the World’s Columbian Exposition, the event that brought the city into international prominence. Organised to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World in 1492, the grand exhibition was laid out in specially designed temporary buildings and was widely believed to have been conceived to outshine earlier landmark expositions, such as the Great London Exhibition of 1851 and the Paris Exposition of 1889.

As Swami Vivekananda’s speech resonated across the Western world, spreading the ethos of Hindu spiritual thought, the Kingdom of Travancore made a significant cultural contribution by sending ten artworks by its most renowned artist, Raja Ravi Varma, for display at the exhibition.

The Sri Chitra Art Gallery in Thiruvananthapuram holds two large framed certificates presented to Raja Ravi Varma by the World’s Columbian Exposition, recognising his exhibition of ten oil paintings described as being of “ethnological value.” An early biographer of the artist notes that by the time Ravi Varma reached Bombay towards the end of 1892, he had already completed five of the paintings intended for the exhibition, with the remaining works executed in Bombay. Once all ten paintings were completed, Ravi Varma displayed them publicly in the city before sending them to Chicago.

Accompanying the paintings was a booklet prepared by the artist, listing the titles and details of each work. Although these titles have been reproduced in numerous studies on Ravi Varma, several of the paintings have remained elusive, leaving room for speculation among art historians and connoisseurs, each offering their own interpretations. Of the ten paintings sent to the exhibition, two eventually entered the Sri Chitralayam collection in 1935. However, only one—Gypsies of South India—remains there today. The other, titled Decking the Bride, has been loaned to the Raj Bhavan (the Governor’s residence) in Thiruvananthapuram, where it is currently housed. Other well-known works from this group include There Comes Papa, Bombay Singer, Expectation, and The Begum’s Bath.

Among the works that remain unsettled are four paintings: Disappointing News, At the Well, The Veena Player, and Sisterly Remembrance. While the debate surrounding Disappointing News remains open, it is now possible to move towards a conclusion regarding the other three, as compelling evidence has recently emerged in the form of a photograph offered at auction by Bid & Hammer, a prominent auction house. Titled Hindoo Jugglers’ Room, the image depicts four of the ten paintings displayed in the Indian Tea Room at the World’s Columbian Exposition. The original halftone print was published in 1894 by the Jewell N. Halligan Company.

Hindoo Jugglers’ Room, original halftone print was published in 1894 by the Jewell N. Halligan Company. It depicts four out of the ten paintings displayed by Raja Ravi Varma – From left to right: At the Well, Decking the Bride, Sisterly Remembrance, and The Veena Player © bidandhammer

Left: Hindoo Jugglers’ Room, detail showing At the Well and Decking the Bride.

Right: Hindoo Jugglers’ Room, detail showing Sisterly Remembrance and The Veena Player.

With the help of this photograph, we are perhaps, for the first time, able to glimpse the most elusive painting of the group—Sisterly Remembrance. As the title suggests, the work explores the theme of camaraderie between sisters, in this instance from a Maratha family, who appear to be engaged in conversation. In the background, to the right, an idol of Lord Ganesha is visible. The photograph also lays to rest long-standing confusion surrounding two other paintings—At the Well and The Veena Player—both of which had been misidentified by several researchers.

Left: The possible candidate for Disappointing News – photograph of the original painting (private collection). See Raja Ravi Varma – An Everlasting Imprint (Vol I) by Ganesh V. Shivaswamy for more details.
Right: The Begum’s Bath News – photograph of the original painting (private collection).

Far from being a mere visual record, the photograph functions as a critical document that bridges archival gaps, resolves long-standing ambiguities, and reshapes our understanding of lost or misidentified works. In the case of Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings at the World’s Columbian Exposition, the photograph not only corroborates textual sources but also restores visual certainty to titles that had long existed only in lists and speculation.

Sharat Sunder R

08.01.2026.

TALES FROM THE CAPITAL CITY - XIV

AN ARTIST IN DISTRESS

K. Ramakrishnan Achari (b.1888-d.1969), my father’s grandfather was a well-known artist of erstwhile Travancore Princely State. Many of his splendid portrayals still adorn the walls of palaces and many government institutions. The most famous among them are the portraits of Nehru and Gandhi, which are placed in the Durbar Hall of Secretariat. But a portrait of Sree Chitira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma, the last ruler of Travancore now kept in Sree Chitra enclave surpasses them all. It was done in the early 1930s and portrays the King sitting on his throne. This fabulous portrait which was once a favourite of the royal family had been tucked away to a dark corner of the museum godown for many years. A letter from the present king, Marthanda Varma inquiring the whereabouts of this portrait finally freed it from the storeroom and now it adorns the wall of Sree Chitra enclave.

K. Ramakrishnan Achari (1) The artist and his son with the finished portrait of Jawaharlal Nehru, 1960s (2) - Photographs from the private collection of the author.

K. Ramakrishnan’s house and studio served as a meeting place for many eminent people of the time. During the 1940s when the Indian Nationalist Movement was in its peak, Ramakrishnan had to face a serious problem…..some of his intimate friends were high palace officials staunch royalists, ‘Rajabakthar’; and others were freedom fighters and ‘Congressmen’ such as Pattom A. Thanu Pilla. Ramakrishnan himself was a supporter of the king’s rule as the king and the royal families were his major patrons. But he had to entertain both.

Once when Pattom Thanu Pilla came to the studio, Ramakrishnan was busy painting a portrait of the King, Sree Chithira Tirunal Bala Rama Varma. Through the window, he saw Thanu Pilla walking towards the studio. Ramakrishnan did not want to offend his friend who was a freedom fighter told his son Haridas to take away the portrait from the easel stand and hide it somewhere so that Thanu Pilla will not see it. However, when Thanu Pilla came to the door Haridas noticed that a portrait of the leader was lying upside down in a dusty corner of the room. Knowing that Thanu Pilla might get angry seeing his portrait in such a miserable condition, Haridas quickly cleaned the portrait and placed it in a respectable place. Thanu Pilla couldn’t be happier.

Pattom A.Thanu Pilla - Image courtesy - Wikipedia.

Many such situations arose later where Ramakrishnan had to struggle to please both of his friends; the royalists and the congressmen.

Sharat Sunder Rajeev
11-07-2009.