| John Murray The Entrance to the Taj Mahal 1853-1858 Salted paper print 34.9 x 45.6 cm (image) The Royal Collection RCIN 2701438 LL/90966 Photograph of the entrance to the Taj Mahal, taken from the side. The large gateway is in the Mughal architectural style with a central vaulted recess known as an iwan which is surrounded by decorative floral motifs and quotes from the Qur'an. Above the iwan there is a row of small cupolas with a small minaret at either end. Each corner of the gateway has a chhatri, an elevated dome-shaped pavilion. There are trees in the surrounding courtyard and a tent can just be seen to the left.
This is one of a series of photographs of Agra by Dr John Murray which were published in a volume with accompanying captions by J Middleton. Murray was an East India Company doctor who used waxed-paper negatives to produce photographs of the Mughal architecture of Agra and the surrounding area.
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