Junk Seller, Heera Mandi, Pakistan 2023

This is the best dressed junk seller I’ve even seen and his shop was spotless. He seemed quite pleased that I wanted to photograph him in his establishment.

Heera Mandi, also known as the "Diamond Quarter" is a neighborhood in Lahore, Pakistan, whose narrow streets and buildings date back to the 15th through 18th centuries. 

Sometimes referred to as the Royal Neighborhood (Shahi Mohalla), Heera Mandi was originally the center of Lahore’s tawaif (concubine) culture. The tawaif were highly sophisticated and wealthy entertainers catering to the nobility during the Mughal era. Like geisha in the Japanese tradition, tawaif were masters of etiquette and rigorously trained in music, dance, theater, and literature. Originating with the Hindu nobility, this tradition existed on the Indian subcontinent for over 2000 years. 

The puritanical and hypocritical regimes of both the British Raj and now the Islamic Republic of Pakistan drove the tawaif underground and to near extinction. Today shabby, littered and poorly maintained, Heera Mandi is still an area for entertainers, musicians, instrument shops, prostitutes and colorful characters – but only as a shadow of its former glory.

PHOTO PRINTS
Prints are on Hahnemuhle heavyweight (315 gsm) 100% archival cotton “Photo Rag Baryta” paper, using archival inks and archival spray coating. They have a 200-year life expectancy before any deterioration of the print will be observed when stored, handled, and displayed under archival conditions.

CANVAS PRINTS
What is often called “Gallery Wrap Canvas” is a fine art inkjet (Giclee) print on canvas, with printed edges to wrap around a wooden stretcher frame, like a painting. With canvas prints, your print image is still the same size, but given a "wrap effect" around the edges to account for the thickness of the stretcher. Canvas can be rolled and shipped with no effect to the print. Your local framing shop should be able to mount the canvas to stretchers at a fraction of the cost of traditional framing, making for an overall more economical way to get fine art on your wall. The canvas is printed to wrap around a 1-inch stretcher (1.5 inches on larger sizes). Specifications will be provided with your order. Feel free to contact us if you need guidance with your canvas order.

John prints, titles, dates, and signs all of his photos.

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