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Primary sourcePhotograph1905-1906

Portrait of Rabindranath Tagore by Sukumar Ray

Sukumar Ray · 1905-1906

A studio portrait of Tagore taken around 1905-1906 by writer and photographer Sukumar Ray, father of filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

This portrait of Tagore, taken around 1905-1906, dates from the Swadeshi nationalist period in Bengal.

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Sepia-toned studio portrait of a bearded man with wavy hair, looking directly at the camera, wearing a dark draped garment. Head and shoulders are shown against a plain light background.
Sukumar Ray, Rabindranath Tagore, 1905-1906.

About this source

What it is

This sepia studio portrait shows Rabindranath Tagore, taken around 1905 or 1906 by Sukumar Ray, a poet and artist who was also the father of the famous filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

Why it matters

The photograph dates from the Swadeshi movement years, a period of growing Indian nationalism in which Tagore was an active cultural voice. It shows how Tagore was photographed by figures within Bengal's own artistic and literary circles, not only outsiders.

Look closer

  • What does the plain background and direct gaze suggest about the purpose of this portrait?
  • Why might a fellow Bengali artist have wanted to photograph Tagore during this period?
  • What does this image not tell you about the political events happening around this time?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Rabindranath Tagore on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of the book Gitanjali (Song Offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore, a collection of prose translations made by the author from the original Bengali, with an introduction by W. B. Yeats, published by Macmillan and Co., London, 1913.Book

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Rabindranath Tagore · 1912

Black and white photograph of Rabindranath Tagore leaving a building, Sigtuna, May 1921.Photograph

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Bertil Waldén · May 1921

Title page of Gitanjali (Song Offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore, a collection of prose translations made by the author from the original Bengali, with an introduction by W. B. Yeats. Macmillan and Co., Limited, London, 1913.Book

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Rabindranath Tagore · 1910

Black and white photograph of Rabindranath Tagore standing with K.B. Westman and M. Björkqvist, Sigtuna, May 1921.Photograph

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Bertil Waldén · May 1921

Piano sheet music score titled 'Jana Gana Mana' by Rabindranath Tagore, in D minor/F major key with 4/4 time, tempo 96, two staves (treble clef) with dynamics like f, p, ff and a fermata at the end.Document

Primary source

Jana Gana Mana

Rabindranath Tagore · 11 December 1911

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