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‪After its early introduction in India (1840), photography soon became a widespread social phenomenon that progressively made its way into both private and public spaces. Based on a new collection of studio photographs – studio photography being the first manifestation of a local photographic culture –, this paper delves into the little known universe of photography in South India. It also explores how to make use of these visual sources that have remained largely neglected despite their documentary power. The authors develop a methodological proposal for iconographic analysis promoting the combined use of statistical analysis and qualitative methods. They then illustrate how this methodology can contribute to the history of and through photography in India.