Minneapolis Institute of Art

Babu Holding a Hookah

India (Calcutta)LinkedCulture matchlcp-e84f00141d5d

Date: 19th century
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Department: Asian Art
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Art
Object ID: 18789

From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record

The babu , or Indian bureaucrat, was a much parodied figure in the arts. His mannerisms and appearance reflected his engagement with the British world of fashion and etiquette as he climbed the social ladder away from the Indian middle class. Here, he is depicted as a dapper dandy smoking a hookah. He is draped in a chic waistcloth, shawl, sports heeled shoes, and a Prince Albert hairstyle. Asia

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Gift of Rhodes Robertson

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