The Taj Mahal
Dr. John Murray (Scottish, 1809–1898)
c. 1858–62
Medium
albumen print
Dimensions
43.2 × 38.4 cm
Classification
Photograph
Department
Photography
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Whitehill Art Purchase Endowment Fund
Accession Number
2022.10
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
male
About this artwork
This view of the Taj Mahal, shot from the bank of the Yamuna River, offers a dramatic contrast between the seemingly perfect white marble monument in the background and dark, ruined structures in the foreground. It sets the Taj into a broader geographic and cultural context by including nature (the river) and two cultures, one that has crumbled and another that, because it approaches aesthetic perfection, has been carefully preserved.