Kokni Lady, Muslim, The Women of Bombay

This portrait is more of an ethnographic and social document rather than just a personal portrait. This artwork was created as a part of "The Women of Bombay", an album of thirteen watercolor paintings by Manchershaw Fakirjee Pithawalla, or M.F. Pithawalla, which showcased the diversity of Bombay for the visiting Princess of Wales in 1905. The Kokni, or Konkani Muslims are a community associated with the Konkan coast of Maharashtra, stretching from Mumbai towards Goa. Many lived in Bombay as merchants, traders, and seafaring families. This album documents the ethnic and religious diversity of early 20th century Bombay and provides a rare visual representation of how women from different communities dressed and presented themselves. Many communities such as Khoja, Bohra, Kokni Muslim, etc were included in this album. The title of this portrait identifies the woman by her community, reflecting on how colonial Bombay often categorized people by their religion, ethnicity and occupation rather than individuality. The representation itself is very dignified. She stands upright, meeting the viewer's sight calmly. Her pose suggests respectability, social standing and education rather than just an exotic curiosity for the Princess of Wales. She wears a richly draped sari with the pallu covering her head, she wears ornate jewelry such as bangles, earrings and necklaces. The painting itself has a realist academic style, with influences of late Victorian portraiture, with minimal background to focus on her clothing, posture and identity. The album celebrated Bombay as a cosmopolitan city where diverse communities lived side by side, it functions almost as a visual census of the communities in the city.

Loading Interpretations....