The Durbar Tent in The Indian Palace - The Indian Section of The Colonial and Indian Exhibition

International exhibitions across Europe and America in the late 19th and early 20th century presented Indian pavillions with regional 'courts' showcasing sumptuous displays of the famed blackwood furniture, fine silverware, ivory, ornamental pottery, rich textiles and carpets, intricate jewelry, and metalware.

The Colonial and Indian exhibition opened in May, 1886 at South Kensington, London and was visited by 5.5 million people. The exhibits from India included art, architecture, economic goods, silks and anthropological studies. The exhibit also featured 34 "native artisans," who were jail inmates from Agra, doing live demonstrations of crafts such as carving, weaving, and pottery. This unsettling phenomenon of “living ethnological displays” became a popular feature of the late 19th century exhibitions.