Hill Natives

Initially this photograph appears to portray the people within it as types rather than as individuals—as is demonstrated by the inclusion of both genders as part of a set, the generic labeling of them as "hill natives," and the separation of the figures from any real context.

A closer look at the photograph counters our initial assumptions. All three figures gaze back at us—the boy even reveals a hint of a smile on his lips. The end of the pole he grasps rests outside the makeshift platform they stand on, as if he cannot be contained within the studio's set. The photographer allows him to stray by widening his frame. The people before the painted backdrop, only highlighting its falsity.

Little is known of Robert Hotz, a photographer who set up his studio in the hilly region of Shimla, in North India.