Portrait of a Muslim girl from Sindh, showing method of wearing ear and nose rings, necklace and anklets

Full-length standing studio portrait of a Muslim girl from Karachi in Sind, Pakistan, taken by Michie and Company in c. 1870, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections. This is one of a series of photographs commissioned by the Government of India in the 19th century, in order to gather information about the dress, customs, trade and religions of the different racial groups on the sub-continent. Images like this one were exhibited at European international exhibitions during the nineteenth century. The girl in the photograph demonstrates the method of wearing ear and nose rings, necklace and anklets. She is also wearing ceremonial dress and has a lock of hair pulled down over her forehead. Oriental and India Office Collection, British Library.