Alexander Greenlaw

Greenlaw, Alexander (1818-70), English amateur photographer. After joining the Indian army in 1834, Greenlaw was posted to Madras with the 46th Regiment. He took up photography in the mid-1850s, sending examples of his work to the Photographic Society of Bombay in 1855. These prints, including studies of temples and numerous portraits, received high praise in the society's journal. During 1855-6 he produced an extensive series of mammoth waxed-paper negatives documenting the ruined Hindu city of Vijayanagara, southern India. These views, mostly architectural studies, display considerable technical and aesthetic quality. The negatives also include a number of unusual tree and plant studies. In 1859 Greenlaw was sent to Rangoon, Burma, where he produced further architectural and topographical views. After leave in England in 1863-6, he returned to India, remaining with the army until his death. Greenlaw's work has survived in negative form only; there are no known contemporary prints. Greenlaw is also known for his modification of the calotype process, in an attempt to compensate for the fierce heat of southern India. This so-called ‘Greenlaw's Process’ was published in The Photographic News of 15 January 1869.