Name/Title
Vijaya Kumari with Subamma Following University of Mysore ConvocationEntry/Object ID
163Description
Summary
Black-and-white photograph depicting Vijaya Kumari Ramakrishna with her grandmother Subamma standing before Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore following Vijaya Kumari’s Bachelor of Arts convocation ceremony. Vijaya Kumari, approximately 19 years old, holds her degree certificate in the photograph. A student of Maharani’s College, Bangalore, she was the first woman in the extended family to obtain a university degree, making the image an important document of women’s higher education and social advancement in post-independence South India.
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Detailed
Small-format black-and-white outdoor photograph depicting two female figures standing before the façade of Jaganmohan Palace in Mysore. Vijaya Kumari Ramakrishna appears at right wearing a saree and eyeglasses and holding a rolled degree certificate associated with her Bachelor of Arts convocation. Her grandmother Subamma stands beside her at left in traditional saree dress.
The architectural backdrop displays characteristic features of Jaganmohan Palace, including domed pavilions, parapets, and Indo-Saracenic detailing. The photograph appears to have been taken in bright daylight using a consumer or amateur camera, producing strong tonal contrast and moderate compression of fine detail.
The image records Vijaya Kumari shortly after completing her Bachelor of Arts degree as a student of Maharani’s College, Bangalore, then affiliated with the University of Mysore. Maharani’s College, established under the patronage of the Mysore royal family, was one of the principal women’s educational institutions in Mysore State and played a significant role in expanding opportunities for women’s higher education in South India during the mid-20th century.
Family history identifies Vijaya Kumari as the first woman on either side of the family to complete a university degree. The photograph therefore functions not merely as a personal portrait, but as a record of educational transition, female advancement, and changing middle-class aspirations in post-independence Mysore State.
The original print is physically worn, with pronounced creasing, tears along the upper edge, corner losses, and scattered abrasions. Despite deterioration, the image retains strong documentary and biographical significance.Made/Created
Date made
circa 1964Place
City
MysoreState/Province
KarnatakaCountry
India
