Hamilton Studio, Bombay: the first twenty years after partition

Hamilton Studios in Bombay is one of India's most significant photographic collections. Opened by Sir Victor Sassoon in 1928, and still operating today, it charts the story of India and its diaspora through a Bombay lens, from colonial power to the country known today. Since 1957, the studio has been owned by the Madhavji family. They have cared for the 600,000-strong archive of glass plates, celluloid negatives and related documents. The archive features prominent members of society, such as businessmen, politicians, rulers and performers, as well as those who, with their new passport photograph from Hamilton Studio, sought a new life elsewhere, leaving from Bombay port.

This project will digitize images from the twenty years after partition, 1947 to 1967, aiming to create a digital collection of . We expect to digitize approximately 20,000 assets, including photographic negatives and prints, as well as documents including notes, letters, and invoices. These documents tell the story of the Indians who were affected by the trauma of partition, including those who sought new opportunities across the globe, making homes and lives for their families thousands of miles from their ancestors. This project captures Indian life at a time of extreme political, social and economic upheaval.

This project continues work completed by the team through EAP Grant: The last 20 years of Empire rule in India, 1928-47: Photographs from the Archive of Hamilton Studios, Bombay (EAP1117).