IOR/ Visual Typologies – Matt Lee by Matt Lee

IOR/

Visual

Typologies

Typology Definition: a systematic classification or study of types.

Forward

Royal Coat of Arms

Letterhead Logos, Crests and Coats of Arms

Embossed Coats of Arms and Crests

Wax Seal Stamps

Saudi Arabi Typography

Paper Colours (IOR/L/PS/12/3951A)

Gender Relationships (IOR/L/PS/12/3951A)

Bottom Right Corners (IOR/L/PS/12/3846)

Gender Relationships (IOR/L/PS/12/3846)

File Copy Stamps (IOR/L/PS/12/3968A)

Ink Stamps

Time and Date Stamps (IOR/L/PS/12/3547)

Muscat Typography/ Dates (IOR/R/15/6/382)

Fingerprints of Pearl Divers (IOR/R/15/2/1833)

Ink Stamps

Hole Punch Holes (IOR/R/15/2/1845)

Paperclip Rust Marks (MSS EUR F112/262)

Central Squares of Maps

Acknowledgments

IOR/ Visual Typologies Matt Lee

The visual material in this project is from a collection of India Office Records that date back to the first half of the 20th century. These administrative papers relate to the Persian Gulf region and have been digitised by me in my role as an Imaging Technician on the British Library Qatar Foundation Partnership programme. This project consists of 20 typologies that highlight visual commonalities across the India Office Records, including stamps, crests, typography, maps, colours, patterns and textures. Typologies involve collecting visual elements with common characteristics and presenting them together to form a consistent series. The visual similarities and differences can then be analysed. My aim in this project is to make visible the visual, textual and physical characteristics of the archive and this is the first step in exploring new ways of viewing, mapping, categorising and drawing meaning from the collection items that we digitise and make available online. I am interested in what exists in the margins around the text, drawing linear comparisons and non-linear connections between collection items and making online collection searches a more visually engaging and interactive process. The first typology looks at the royal coat of arms and its application across administrative contexts, from royal residences and government offices in Whitehall to British consulates across the Gulf. The second typology includes a broader selection of crests and logos and offers an insight into the kinds of official correspondence that these papers contain, including letters between departments, regiments, federations, corporations, schools, hotels and private member’s clubs. Many of the collection items presented here were selected at random, including IOR/L/PS/12/3951A, which I used to create two distinct experiments. The first involved taking squares of paper and placing them in sequence to show variations in colours and tones. The second examined gender roles by extracting all words that refer to gender. This sequential and systematic display reveals that men are referred to by name or title, while women are referred to as wives, widows and prostitutes. The conceptual ideas behind these typologies are enhanced when placed alongside the item’s catalogue descriptions. For example, a series of fingerprints belonging to young enslaved men seeking manumission in Bahrain, a series of time stamps on documents about the imminent withdrawal of Allied forces from Persia and a series of paperclip rust marks from papers discussing the end of the British Protectorate in Egypt. The extreme repetition in the typologies of ‘File Copy’ stamps and hole punch holes reinforce the bureaucratic British administrative processes of the time. The artworks also reflect the digitisation process on the BLQFP project, which has made over one million images available online via the Qatar Digital Library portal.

IOR/L/PS/12/3951A

Bahrein Oil: Employment of U.S.Provost Personnel for Control of American labour The file concerns the secondment of eight serving British police officers (one inspector, one sergeant, and six constables) to serve with the Bahrain State Police. The issue arose in 1944 following incidents at Bahrain involving United States (US) citizens employed in refinery construction (particularly those employed by the Bechtel-McCone-Parsons Corporation) and US merchant seamen. It was considered that the local Arab police were unable to deal with the situation unaided. Various proposals were discussed, including the use of US Provost personnel, and the supply of British military police. In view of the fact that the British Government exercised limited jurisdiction in Bahrain (particularly control over foreigners), the decision was taken to recruit British policemen. The papers include: Bahrain State Police conditions of service (folios 484-502); miscellaneous papers concerned with the individuals recruited (folios 412-483); discussion of the possible use of US Provost personnel, MarchSeptember 1944 (including correspondence from the India Office , the Foreign Office, the War Office, and the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf ); discussion of the possible use of British military police and National Fire Service personnel, August-October 1944; papers concerning the recruitment of British police officers from the United Kingdom (including correspondence from the Home Office, and the various constabularies involved); their terms and conditions; lists of applicants and interview papers; papers concerning the British policemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uniform, pay, and passage to Bahrain; and papers concerning conditions in Bahrain, and the resignation of Inspector Charles H Crowe, October-December 1945.

www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x000209

IOR/L/PS/12/3846

Persian Gulf. Bahrain Grievances of the Baharinah The papers in this file relate to the grievances of the Baharnah (the native population of Bahrain). The papers include: The petition of the Baharnah to the Ruler of Bahrain Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa requesting the adoption of a Qanun (code of laws) in the courts, proportional representation in the Majalis al Tujjarah and Baladiyyah at Manama and Muharraq, and restoration of their rights on the Board of Education, 30 December 1934-21 April 1936; the reservations of the Secretary of State for India the 2nd Marquess of Zetland about providing constitutional advice to the Gulf principalities, 20-27 September 1935; the instructions from the Government of India on reforming the courts of Bahrain, proportional representation, education, and pasturage of the Ruler’s camels, 6 November 1935-22 February 1936; the growth of popular movements in Kuwait, Debai [Dubai], and Bahrain, 18 July-16 November 1938; the agitation against the Shi’a Shar’ Court, Bahraini courts, and the educational system in Bahrain, a strike on the premises of the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), and a demonstration in the bazaar at Manama, 31 October-24 November 1938; a request by Shaikh Hamad for the recruitment of two Egyptian or Sudanese magistrate to compile a civil and criminal ‘Bahrain Code’ from all previously issued a’lans and to provide practical advice to current magistrates inside and outside the courts of Bahrain, 24 November 1938-5 August 1939; the report of the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf Lieutenant Colonel T C W Fowle to the Secretary to the Government of India in the External Affairs Department Sir Herbert Aubrey Francis Metcalfe on future policy towards popular agitation in Bahrain, 14 April-23 May 1939; and the Ruler of Dubai Shaikh Sa’id bin Maktoum Al Maktoum’s forcible dissolution of the Majlis in Dubai, 5-15 June 1939.

www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x00019e

IOR/L/PS/12/3846

Persian Gulf. Bahrain Grievances of the Baharinah “The Sheikh lost on that occasion but turned the tables when his opponents at the end of March, when on the occasion of the marriage of his son to a Bedouin girl he packed the town with Bedouin from the hinterland and made himself master of the place. There was little actual fighting, but two of his opponents the Rashid family were killed, half of the Council surrendered and the remainder fled with about 100 followers and took refuge in Sharjah.” (folio 13) “O you, men of the Future, unite and claim your rights. Sacrifice your life and your riches. Show Europe that you are the sons of the heroes who destroyed the Empire of Cesars and built in its place the great Arab Empire. Do not fear that England will turn her guns on you. You are only claiming your legitimate rights.” (folio 44) “Regarding Education, we are happy to see the progress which is made under the administration of our brother, Shaikh ‘Abdullah bin ‘Isa, who devotes himself to furthering the education of our people. The number of students in our schools increases yearly and we hope when the state of finance improves to open more schools in the country villages in which there are no schools. Our five boys; schools and the two girls’ schools are open to all our subjects and we welcome an increase in the number of students in the schools from our Shi’ah subjects.” (folio 92-93)

www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x00019e

IOR/L/PS/12/3968A

Currency Arrangements in the Arab Sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf The file concerns currency issues affecting the Arab states of the Persian Gulf , following the transfer of administrative responsibility from the Government of India to the Persian Gulf Residency in 1947. Under the new arrangements, responsibility for exchange control was vested in the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf . The papers include: memoranda by India Office officials on the desirability of the continued use of the Indian rupee in the region (folio 297); the issue of which Gulf states were included in the Sterling Area; exchange control; policy on imports to the region; trade; the currency of Muscat and Oman, including the use there of Maria Theresa dollars; Kuwait as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the centre of the whole Middle East for smuggling and illicit transactions in foreign currenciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (folio 120); and traffic in gold through Kuwait. In addition to India Office (later Commonwealth Relations Office) correspondence and memoranda, the papers include correspondence from the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf , the Bank of England, and HM Treasury.

www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x00021c

IOR/L/PS/12/3547

Persia. Proposed withdrawal of Allied forces from Persia Correspondence and other papers relating to the withdrawal of Allied (British, Soviet and United States) troops from Persia [Iran] at the end of the Second World War, according to the terms set out in the Anglo-SovietIranian Treaty of Alliance (1942). The correspondence covers: the British Ambassador at Tehran, Reader William Bullard’s concerns that the Soviet Union sought ‘virtual mastery over Persia’ (f 267); the Government of India’s fears over instability and Soviet influence in Persia after the withdrawal of Allied forces; arrangements made by the Foreign Office for British and Indian journalists and newspapers to travel to Persia and report on events there, specifically, the difficulties being made for the Persian Government by a pro-Soviet parliamentary minority and pro-Soviet press, and Britain’s desire for ‘the independence and integrity of Persia’ (ff 280-287); the potential disruption of air services into and out of Persia after the withdrawal of troops; concerns over and arrangements for the maintenance of security at the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company’s facilities in southern Persia; copies of correspondence exchanged between the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ernest Bevin, and his Soviet counterpart, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov; reports in March 1946 of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from parts of northern Persia, and the arrival of Soviet troops in Azerbaijan and Tabriz. The file’s principal correspondents are: the British Ambassador at Tehran, Reader William Bullard; the Foreign Office; the India Office ; the External Affairs Department of the Government of India.

www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000648.0x00006c

IOR/R/15/6/382

Palestinian Arab Students as teachers for Muscat Govt. The record is made up of 1 file (14 folios). It was created in 21 Aug 1950-20 Dec 1950. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. This file contains correspondence regarding the recruitment of Palestinian teachers in Lebanon to work for the Government of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. The correspondence is between the Political Agency in Muscat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman, the Political Agency in Bahrain and the British Council. On folios 3-4 the file contains a summary of the role of the British Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office in Beirut in assisting the governments of Bahrain, Kuwait and Muscat in hiring teachers for employment in their countries.

www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000881.0x00009d

IOR/R/15/2/1833

Slavery: cases of Trucial Coast slaves reported at Bahrain The record is made up of 1 file (239 folios). It was created in 29 Apr 1946-20 Sep 1948. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. The volume contains correspondence related to over forty manumission requests heard at the Political Agency in Bahrain. The cases involve slaves that had escaped from the towns of the Trucial Coast , notably Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Ra’s al-Khaymah. Enclosed with most cases is the slave’s statement, and correspondence between the Agency and the Residency Agent at Sharjah, to verify the slave’s story. The majority of the cases in the file involve male slaves aged between 20 and 30 years old, who were born in the house of their master, and had been engaged as pearl divers. Case no. 29 involves three slaves (statements folios 176-78) who had absconded to Bahrain from Abu Dhabi by boat. Shaikh Shakbut bin Sultan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, requests that the boat the slave escaped in be returned to him (folio 184). Further correspondence reveals that ownership of the boat is disputed. The boat’s original certificate of registration, with stamps, is included in the file (folio 189).

www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x000238

IOR/R/15/2/1851

File A/11 I Slave cases Trucial Coast The file contains twelve cases of slavery or applications for manumission, heard by the Residency Agent at Sharjah. While the final three cases in the file (involving nine slaves) are straightforward manumission applications, other cases are more complex, and involve larger amounts of correspondence exchanged between the Residency Agent in Sharjah and the Bahrain Political Agent on one hand, and the Bahrain Political Agent and Political Resident on the other. Cases of note include the following. Case no. 2, in which a man sought the retrieval from slavery of his sister and cousin, who were kidnapped ten years previously. The sister was found to be married and did not want to leave her family (folios 16-70). Case no. 5 in which a man requested the liberation of his son who, enquiries by the Residency Agent at Sharjah revealed, was originally mortgaged (i.e. sold) by the father to another man for 40 rupees, to be paid back in 20 days (folios 139-42). Case no. 6 is a manumission application made by an indebted diver accused of two cases of theft in Dubai (folios 175-272).

www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x00024a

MSS EUR F112/262

Typescript and printed cabinet papers and parliamentary papers on events in Egypt The file contains correspondence, memoranda, minutes, and other papers concerning the political situation in Egypt and negotiations between the British Government and an Egyptian delegation for the end of the British Protectorate in Egypt. The papers cover the effort to come to an agreement on future relations between the two parties following negotiations in the summer of 1921 and up until Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unilateral declaration of the end of the protectorate in February 1922. The majority of the memoranda is written by Foreign Office officials, including the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Lord Curzon. Records of meetings of the Cabinet and a sub-committee on the Egyptian situation, and of a few high-level gatherings at 10 Downing Street, make up a substantial part of the file. There is also a large amount of correspondence between Curzon and Field Marshal Edmund Henry Hynman Allenby, High Commissioner of Egypt, on the question of Egyptian independence and events in Egypt. Other papers include printed collections relating to the Egyptian situation that were presented to Parliament.

www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100000001491.0x000297

Acknowledgements

This project was created for the British Library Qatar Foundation Partnership programme between November 2018-May 2020. It was developed during two Imaging Hack Days at the British Library and completed at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The collection items used in the creation of this project can be viewed on the Qatar Digital Library portal: www.qdl.qa/en In November 2019 the Imaging Team on the British Library Qatar Foundation Partnership Project won the British Library Labs staff award for their Hack Day projects. Read about the Hack Days in the blog posts below: https://blogs.bl.uk/digital-scholarship/2018/11/the-britishlibrary-qatar-foundation-partnership-imaging-hack-day.html https://blogs.bl.uk/digital-scholarship/2019/02/the-britishlibrary-qatar-foundation-partnership-imaging-hack-daypart-2.html https://blogs.bl.uk/digital-scholarship/2019/03/the-britishlibrary-qatar-national-library-partnership-imaging-hack-day -international-womens-day.html

Thanks to Sotirios Alpanis, Renata Kaminska, Louis Allday and Smriti Mehra.

Matt Lee www.matt-lee.com

A project by Matt Lee. 2020