[The Taj Mahal from the Gateway]

John Murray

January–March 1864 · Albumen silver prints from waxed paper negatives · Photographs

Of all the photographs Murray made of the Taj, the most impressive are his triptych panoramas, taken from the roof of the entrance gate and looking down and across the formal gardens to the mausoleum beyond. Perched high above the heavily wooded gardens, the pale building appears almost translucent in the early morning sunlight. So often described as a tribute to feminine beauty, the monument itself becomes an architectural odalisque reclining against dark silky billows.

Artist

John Murray

Date

January–March 1864

Medium

Albumen silver prints from waxed paper negatives

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Gilman Collection, Purchase, Cynthia Hazen Polsky Gift, 2005