CURIOSITY CABINETS
Fig 1. Marcel Duchamp, Box in Valise, (1935-41) In 1822, An Englishwoman named Fanny Parkes followed her husband Charles Crawford Parkes to India. Charles, an employee of the East India Company was stationed as a collector of customs at Allahabad. While he was occupied with work, Fanny busied her days by learning Hindi, horse riding and occasionally mingling with Indian women in the Zenana. Just as she was beginning to settle down, her husband was posted to Kanpur (‘Cawnpore’ in those days) which was a rather dull environment compared to what she was used to. So she took to travelling on her own and exploring India. Everywhere she went, she documented her travels that later were published into a...
