The first museum to be set up in India in 1814 by the British Orientalists underwent a significant change when the Government of India took it over in 1858. The change was shaped by the experience of the great Indian uprising of 1857 to which, most importantly, the ordinary people (artisans, peasants, the unemployed etc.) rallied. Though the Raj succeeded eventually in suppressing the Revolt, its officials were deeply disturbed by the popular uprising and its effects. Policies were designed thereafter with these anxieties in mind—notably the one for running the museum in Calcutta. The authorities designed the museum as a ‘public’ space rather than as an ‘imperial’ edifice, and they hoped to get over their prolonged alienation from the masses by opening its doors to the ordinary people. This article examines the background and intent of the establishment of the Museum in Calcutta and its administration in the nineteenth century, with particular attention to the conception of the ‘public’ that underpinned it. It also outlines how the public in question responded to the museum.

中文翻译：

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“公共”印度博物馆，加尔各答，1858-1878 年

1814 年由英国东方学家在印度建立的第一家博物馆在 1858 年印度政府接管时发生了重大变化。 这种变化是由 1857 年印度大起义的经验形成的，最重要的是，普通民众（工匠、农民、失业者等）团结起来。尽管拉吉最终成功镇压了起义，但其官员对民众起义及其影响深感不安。此后制定政策时就考虑到了这些焦虑——尤其是在加尔各答运营博物馆的政策。当局将博物馆设计为一个“公共”空间，而不是一个“帝国”大厦，他们希望通过向普通民众敞开大门来摆脱与群众的长期疏离。本文考察了 19 世纪在加尔各答建立博物馆及其管理的背景和意图，特别关注支撑它的“公众”概念。它还概述了有关公众如何回应博物馆。