Parsee Parsi Woman Photograph

Albumen Print of Parsee (Parsi) Woman & Child

This old albumen print of a Parsee woman and child, probably from Bombay or Surat, is attached to thin card. It is not clear who the photographer is but its main virtue is that it shows the traditional Parsee dress and jewellery of both the mother and child.

Importantly, the photograph shows clearly the manner in which Indian Parsee women wore just a single, long earring in one ear and kept the other ear covered by their sari. The lady here wears a white

mathabana, or muslin scarf over her head and beneath that part of her sari that is draped over her head. The sari is a type known as a kor no garo – a sari with an embroidered border.

The child – a boy – wears a cap that is likely to be a silk brocaded

topi, and an embroidered tunic known as a jhabla.

The jewellery and costumes of the sitters suggest that they are from a well-to-do Parsee family. The woman most probably was the wife of a Parsee merchant.

The photographic print is in fine condition.