Ed van der Elsken, enfant terrible of Dutch photography, captured his encounters with people in photographs, photo books and films for more than 40 years. He started photographing in the late 1940s, so his photography spans the period from World War II to the 1970s. Although at first glance Van der Elsken's work appears to be documentary photography, he had a subjective style in which reality and imagination intermingle. Thus, he also photographed imitated or created realities such as dioramas, wax figures, and posters, in which one may, at times, discover a socially critical view.
Van der Elsken himself said about this photo: "a large carpet being carried into the backyard for cleaning at Imperial hotel, Delhi. The only nice big hotel there. Old, wax, lots of copper and velvet, insanely large, dark rooms, sweet old servants barefoot, expensive, but good value for money." (own translation) - Ed van der Elsken, Hallo! Een nieuwe Ed van der Elsken, Unieboek BV - Van Holkema & Warendorf, Bussum 1978