The abundance of visual reproductions in the late 20th century may make earlier eras seem visually impoverished. This was not really the case. There were always many kinds of images available, from miniatures and paintings to icons and representations of deities and holy persons on materials of every kind. There were also a wide variety of engraved prints available around the world, made in many different ways.

What has changed is the cheap mass reproduction and distribution of single images. This first happened in the 19th century. Even before the invention of photography in 1839, print techniques like lithography and wood engraving had begun to make reproductions in black-and-white and color economically viable on a large scale.

This doorway explores these early images of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka Bangladesh and Afghanistan.