Dayal, Lala Deen (also Din Diyal; 1844-1905 or 1910), Indian commercial photographer, educated as a draughtsman at Thomason Engineering College, Roorkee. According to an autobiographical note, Dayal took up photography in 1874, receiving patronage from the maharaja of Indore, as well as important British officials such as the viceroy, Lord Northbrook. During this time Dayal concentrated on architectural and landscape studies in central India. In 1884-5 he accompanied Sir Lepel Griffin on an archaeological tour, resulting in Famous Monuments of Central India (1886) containing 39 collotype reproductions from his photographs.
After a short time in government employment in the Indore Public Works Department, Dayal became court photographer to Mahbub Ali Khan, 6th nizam of Hyderabad (reg. 1869-1911). The Muslim ruler of pre-1947 India's largest princely state, he had been invested with full powers in 1884, on the termination of a regency. His vast territories, extensive jewellery collection, and patronage of the arts established the nizam in many minds as the richest man in the world. In place of a court painter, he decided to appoint Dayal as the official court photographer in 1884, giving him the title ‘Raja’ in 1894. Dayal created a modern public image for a traditional Indian ruler, designed to be palatable to the British Raj. He was expected to document official visits from royalty and politicians from Britain, Germany, Austria, Russia, and Greece, and record a variety of military, social, and official occasions. He also travelled extensively to photograph the ‘nizam's Dominions’, producing architectural and topographical views for albums which were subsequently presented to the nizam's guests.
In 1886 Dayal established a studio in Secunderabad, and a zenana (women only) studio was added in 1892. But during his time as court photographer he moved away from commercial topographical work, concentrating instead on royal portraiture and his other duties. He employed many Indian and European assistants in his studios, several later establishing their own businesses, such as Herzog and Higgins. In the late 1890s, his two sons Raja Gyan Chand and Lala Dharam Chand took over much of the work, opening a Bombay studio in 1896 which lasted until Lala Dharam's death in 1904. Following the death of the nizam, court patronage ceased, although during the 1930s the 7th nizam employed the firm on several occasions. Today Deen Dayal is considered the most significant Indian photographer of the 19th century.
— Sophie C. Gordon
Bibliography
- Dayal, L. Deen, “‘A Short Account of my Photographic Career by Lala Deen Dayal (in his Own Words)’”, 18 July 1899 (British Library, Eur. MSS D1132)
