Q1. [4]
New Forms of Publication
By the end of the nineteenth century, a new visual culture was taking shape. With the setting up of an increasing number of printing presses, visual images could be easily reproduced in multiple copies. Painters like Raja Ravi Varma produced images for mass circulation. Poor wood engravers who made woodblocks set up shop near the letterpresses, and were employed by print shops. Cheap prints and calendars, easily available in the bazaar, could be bought even by the poor to decorate the walls of their homes or places of work. These prints began shaping popular ideas about modernity and tradition, religion and politics, and society and culture.
By the 1870s, caricatures and cartoons were being published in journals and newspapers, commenting on social and political issues. Some caricatures ridiculed the educated Indians' fascination with Western tastes and clothes, while others expressed the fear of social change. There were imperial caricatures lampooning nationalists, as well as nationalist cartoons criticising imperial rule.
Read the source given below and answer the questions that follow :
- 34.1 How did the development of printing technology impact visual culture ? [1]
- 34.2 How did Raja Ravi Varma contribute to the mass circulation of art in India ? [1]
- 34.3 How did visual culture shape the memory of the 19th century social landscape ? Explain. [2]
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2025 32/4/1 Q34
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:00 · grounding stimulus
Model Answer
34.1 The development of printing presses allowed visual images to be easily reproduced in multiple copies, giving rise to a new visual culture by the end of the nineteenth century.
34.2 Raja Ravi Varma produced paintings specifically for mass circulation. These were reproduced as cheap prints and calendars, sold in bazaars, and could be bought even by the poor to decorate their homes and workplaces.
34.3 Visual culture shaped the social memory of 19th-century India in several ways:
- Cheap prints and calendars spread ideas about modernity, tradition, religion, and politics among common people.
- Caricatures and cartoons published in journals (from the 1870s) commented on social and political issues — some mocking Indians who adopted Western tastes, others reflecting fear of social change.
- Imperial caricatures targeted nationalists, while nationalist cartoons criticised British rule, reflecting the political tensions of the era.
Source: Print Culture and the Modern World, New Forms of Publication
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Explanation
- 34.1 is 1 mark — one direct line from the passage suffices.
- 34.2 is 1 mark — focus on Ravi Varma + cheap prints + bazaar availability.
- 34.3 is 2 marks — needs at least 2–3 developed points: (i) prints shaping popular ideas, (ii) caricatures on social issues, (iii) political cartoons. Examiners look for both dimensions — social AND political — from the passage. Do not add outside information; stick to the extract.
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