"Dumps," An Afghan Girl

1879
This photograph of a young Afghan girl is from an album of rare historical photographs depicting people and places associated with the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The girl’s head is covered with a patterned scarf tied behind her head and full-body chador (a large cloth worn as a combination head covering and shawl), and her long braided hair hangs down below her waist. The caption supplied by the photographer sheds little light on the girl’s identity or circumstances but may derive from her melancholy expression and the British saying “to be down in the dumps,” meaning to be depressed. The Second Anglo-Afghan War began in November 1878 when Great Britain, fearful of what it saw as growing Russian influence in Afghanistan, invaded the country from British India. The first phase of the war ended in May 1879 with the Treaty of Gandamak, which permitted the Afghans to maintain internal sovereignty but forced them to cede control over their foreign policy to the British. Fighting resumed in September 1879, after an anti-British uprising in Kabul, and finally concluded in September 1880 with the decisive Battle of Kandahar. The album includes portraits of British and Afghan leaders and military personnel, portraits of ordinary Afghan people, and depictions of British military camps and activities, structures, landscapes, and cities and towns. The sites shown are all located within the borders of present-day Afghanistan or Pakistan (a part of British India at the time). About a third of the photographs were taken by John Burke (circa 1843–1900), another third by Sir Benjamin Simpson (1831–1923), and the remainder by several other photographers. Some of the photographs are unattributed. The album possibly was compiled by a member of the British Indian government, but this has not been confirmed. How it came to the Library of Congress is not known.

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Filename: 11458.jpg
Copyright: acku Afghanistan
Image Size: 1334x1800 / 385.7KB; 1879 Afghanistan Afghans Girl Afghan Wars Portraits Clothes and Dress Photo WDL 011124
Contained in galleries: AFGHANISTAN

1879<br />
This photograph of a young Afghan girl is from an album of rare historical photographs depicting people and places associated with the Second Anglo-Afghan War. The girl’s head is covered with a patterned scarf tied behind her head and full-body chador (a large cloth worn as a combination head covering and shawl), and her long braided hair hangs down below her waist. The caption supplied by the photographer sheds little light on the girl’s identity or circumstances but may derive from her melancholy expression and the British saying “to be down in the dumps,” meaning to be depressed. The Second Anglo-Afghan War began in November 1878 when Great Britain, fearful of what it saw as growing Russian influence in Afghanistan, invaded the country from British India. The first phase of the war ended in May 1879 with the Treaty of Gandamak, which permitted the Afghans to maintain internal sovereignty but forced them to cede control over their foreign policy to the British. Fighting resumed in September 1879, after an anti-British uprising in Kabul, and finally concluded in September 1880 with the decisive Battle of Kandahar. The album includes portraits of British and Afghan leaders and military personnel, portraits of ordinary Afghan people, and depictions of British military camps and activities, structures, landscapes, and cities and towns. The sites shown are all located within the borders of present-day Afghanistan or Pakistan (a part of British India at the time). About a third of the photographs were taken by John Burke (circa 1843–1900), another third by Sir Benjamin Simpson (1831–1923), and the remainder by several other photographers. Some of the photographs are unattributed. The album possibly was compiled by a member of the British Indian government, but this has not been confirmed. How it came to the Library of Congress is not known.