Published by Andrew Wiegert, September 5th, 2025

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in Delhi has embarked on an ambitious project to restore and digitize 19th-century glass plate negatives by Raja Lala Deen Dayal, one of India’s most celebrated photographers of the colonial era. The project employs locally developed, sustainable conservation techniques to stabilize fragile materials and digitally capture their intricate details. In addition to physical preservation, archivists are creating comprehensive metadata and searchable digital registers, breathing new life into images that provide invaluable insights into India’s architectural, cultural, and social history. The initiative offers a cost-effective alternative to expensive foreign technology while empowering local conservators and researchers.

Link to article:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/through-the-looking-glass-colonial-era-photographic-legacy-gets-second-lease/articleshow/123172806.cms