Photograph showing the golden gate entrance to the Golden Temple, Amritsar.

This photograph is of the grand gateway which leads to the tank and the Golden Temple. It shows the intricately carved and painted decoration. Two men are seen seated in the shade underneath the gateway.

After the Indian army 'mutinied' in 1857 Felice Beato travelled through India photographing the sites connected with it. Although there had been incidents in Amritsar, it was not a 'Mutiny' site such as Lucknow and Delhi. In all, Beato took eleven photographs of the Golden Temple from different view points. The photographs were offered for sale to the public, ten of the 17 views of Amritsar listed in the sales catalogue were displayed in the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867. The V&A has 11 of the 17 views, three of which were displayed in Paris and retain their original 1867 mounts marked with their 1867 catalogue numbers.

The architectural historian, James Fergusson, felt that Europe could learn from India's attention to architectural decoration, having recognised at an early stage the importance of photography for recording India's monuments. Fergusson was responsible for the inclusion of some 500 photographs in the 1867 Paris Universal Exhibition, shown in the Fine Arts Division of the British Section under the heading 'History of Labour', to best illustrate the progress of industry in the British dominions'. Fergusson used woodcuts and lithographs taken from photographs, and later the photographs themselves to illustrate his books.

Felico Beato took a series of photographs of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. This shows his skill in taking ‘near views’ and demonstrates his ability in capturing architectural details with clarity and depth. This skill was rare in the 1850s when this photograph was taken.

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