South Asian objects at the V&A: 1880 – 1920

Around 20,000 objects were transferred in 1879 from the India Museum of the East India Company to what was then called the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A). In the decades that followed, the museum’s curators continued acquiring objects from South Asia. They turned to art dealers prepared to satisfy the increasing demand for South Asian goods. This demand was fuelled by many international exhibitions that showcased Indian objects, such as the 1851 Great Exhibition, the 1886 Colonial and India Exhibition, and the London International exhibitions of 1871 to 1874. In their quest to improve British design, these curators acquired items of jewellery, carpets, textiles and silverware from dealers who imported them from South Asia. Knowing how these objects came to the V&A helps us better understand how Indian art and design were introduced and popularised to the British public – and gives us greater insight to the objects themselves.

At the museum, the historical acquisition records are our primary source for provenance information, but these documents rarely contain complete answers to our modern-day questions. They were often created simply as administrative records: when an object arrived at the museum, the registrars diligently recorded a short description of it in the Central Inventory (which is accessible in the V&A Archives) but this resource rarely contains more than the name of the dealer or collector from whom the object was acquired.

Compared to the Central Inventory, the museum's Departmental Registers provide more information about the objects – such as a more detailed description, comments about its significance, its price, condition – and usually an address. Depending on the interests of the curator at the time, there might be further comments, including on provenance – such as the site where the object was discovered, notes on previous owners, or references to relevant publications.

These Departmental Registers often give the number of Registered Papers in which the museum kept further documentation about the objects it acquired, such as correspondence with collectors and dealers that helped curators to decide whether the acquisition should go ahead. These papers are stored in Nominal Files, which group together all records and correspondence related to each collector or dealer. These files can provide vital clues about an object's history before it was acquired by the V&A, and are an indispensable resource for researchers.

Luzac & Co

These resources allow us to uncover fascinating stories about the dealers who helped to build the V&A's collections. Luzac & Co, established in 1740, were one of the dealers that became a dependable source for the V&A. Primarily a bookseller, they also offered Indian paintings that formed part of manuscripts and albums.

An important collection purchased from them by the V&A was a set of Mughal paintings illustrating the Baburnama, an autobiographical account of the life of the first Mughal emperor Babur (r. 1526 – 1531), purchased in 1913. When recommending the purchase, the Keeper of the Indian Section at the time, Caspar Stanley Clarke commented:

Luzac & Co's nominal file contains other similar notes by Stanley Clarke, where he speaks of the benefits of being offered important paintings at moderate prices at a time when auctions in cities such as Paris were offering similar paintings at exceptionally high prices.

Bhumgara & Co – the cricket legend

Bhumgara & Co was founded by Framjee Pestonjee Bhumgara, a Parsi (or Parsee, adherent of Zoroastrianism) merchant from India who started his business in Surat in Gujarat, western India, in 1841. He employed six workers making sandalwood boxes and toys, and travelled to Europe to expand his trade, hoping to familiarise himself with the requirements for Western taste prevalent in the mid to late 19th century. On this trip, obtained an introduction to Queen Victoria, and met her in Windsor. This meeting proved successful, and Bhumgara was appointed as a jeweller to her court.

As traders in silverware, jewellery, and 'oriental' products, in 1886, Framjee exhibited jewellery and silver at the Colonial and India Exhibition and at the India and Ceylon Exhibition held in Earl's Court in 1896. Bhumgara followed these successes by opening more branches in various cities in India in the 1880s and one in London Wall in 1890. In 1893, the South Kensington Museum purchased from the company several pieces of clothing from Kutch in Western India, including jackets, pants, and skirts.

Bhumgara expanded to America, exhibiting at the 1893 Chicago Exposition and winning awards. These successes were followed up by opening a New York branch in 1894 that advertised as "the only wholesale house in the US that deals in East India goods exclusively."

Later, the firm was operated by Framjee's grandson, Maneckji Jamshedji Bhumgara. Maneckji was a bowling sensation. who played for the Los Angeles league team. He did not, however, leave his art dealing business. When Bhumgara & Co displayed their goods in exhibitions in American cities, such as at the St Louis World Fair in 1904, he would set up a base as an art dealer – but also play cricket for the local clubs.

Exploring the stories of these dealers helps us understand more about the range of South Asian objects at the V&A, and the broader colonial milieu in which they became desirable for museums in the UK. Information about these dealers, and other vendors from which the V&A acquired South Asian objects between 1880 and 1922, is now gradually being entered into the museum database and made available through Explore the Collections. As part of this process, the relevant Registered Papers or Nominal file numbers, which might be useful for those interested in the object to conduct more research, are also being made available in the V&A Archives. This information will help provide crucial insights into the history of collecting at the V&A during the period of British colonial rule in India.