When well-known architect and art historian Ismeth Raheem received a call from New Delhi in May, it was for a project right after his own heart.

Ismeth Raheem pictured at the exhibition opening in New Delhi

He was asked to provide background data for a rare exhibition of 19th Century and early 20th Century images of Ceylon.

Author of the book ‘Images of British Ceylon – History of 19th Century Photography in Sri Lanka’ published in 2000, Raheem who is on the Board of Trustees of the National Trust of Sri Lanka, was delighted.

‘Imaging the Isle Across- Vintage Photography from Ceylon’ – opened at New Delhi’s National Museum on September 26 and has already evoked considerable interest among the Indian press and public for its collection of over a hundred rare images, that speak vividly of an island in transition.

Drawn largely from the Alkazi Collection of Photography, the photographs showcase the people of 19th Century Ceylon, its stunning landscapes – lush valleys and even harshly denuded land(being cleared for estates and railtracks), its traditional and new industries, sacred cultural sites and emerging cities.

While the majority of the work is by colonial photographers, the exhibition also has a selection of experimental works of that famous Lankan – Lionel Wendt, from the collection of Dominic Sansoni.

Raheem had another connection to the exhibition – Ebrahim Alkazi, now 90 years of age who founded the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts which is dedicated to the preservation of the cultural history of India whom he recalls meeting years ago.

Interestingly this exhibition is curated by Alkazi’s grandson Rahaab Allana.

Presented by the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, the Indian Ministry of Culture, the National Museum, New Delhi, the Archaeological Survey of India, and supported by the University of Cambridge’s Centre of South Asian Studies and the Indo-Sri Lanka Society, the exhibition continues until November 10 in Delhi.