'Devarajaswamy Temple at Kanchipuram (Conjeeveram)', black and white photograph by Frank Monaco, India, 1950s-1960s, printed in 1990s

This image is an ariel view of the temple complex showing the scale of it against a backdrop of a forest of palm trees.

Given by Frank Monaco

This print made in the 1990s. In a letter written to the museum after Frank Monaco’s death in 2007, his nephew, Oliver Morse wrote:

‘We believe that Frank visited India 16 times during the last 25 years of his life. His papers show that he went there for two weeks in February 2004, and we think that this was his final visit. From the 1950s up until about the year 2000 his camera of choice was the Leica. This remained his favourite camera, but in about 2000 he also started using a digital camera. At this time he also took with him on his trips a second separate digital camera loaded with colour film. This enabled him to photograph the same scene in colour within the same 5 minute period….’
Letter dated January 15th 2008 is in the Registered file: 1999/709

In a further letter dated 19th January 2008, his other nephew, Jonathan Morse, found a list of dates in his diary which he believes were the dates that Frank travelled to India.

The 19 dates are noted in the Registered file: 1999/709

This image is an ariel view of the Devarajaswamy temple complex at Conjeeveram in South India. It shows the 'gopurams', the towering entrances to the temple, and the way they connect to the rest of the complex.

The American photojournalist Frank Monaco (1917-2007) did not take up photography until the early 1950s. He travelled through India many times between 1965 and 2004 and took a series of photographs which document temples and the busy life in and around the temple sites.

IS.146-2006