• Pali Wijeratne revisits Edward Atkinson Hornel’s 1907 photographic record of the island

There is a particular stillness to archival photographs. Not silence, but a sense of time held in place. At the launch of ‘Ceylon in 1907: Hornel’s Photographic Survey of Life on the Island,’ that stillness felt closer, almost within reach.

Compiled by architect, town planner, and heritage conservator Pali Wijeratne in collaboration with Antonia Laurence Allen and published with the support of Jetwing Hotels, the book brings together more than 300 photographs taken by Scottish artist Edward Atkinson Hornel during his visit to Ceylon in 1907. 

Originally intended as reference material for his paintings, the images now stand as a record in their own right, offering a detailed view of life on the island over a century ago.

For Wijeratne, the project sits within a longer personal commitment. His work across sites such as Sigiriya and Colombo Fort has centred on preservation, and the book extends that impulse into a different medium.

“This is an analysis of a collection of over 300 photos taken by impressionist painter Hornel,” he said, outlining the origins of the material. Hornel had travelled to Ceylon at the invitation of his cousin, a marine biologist studying the island’s pearl fisheries, an industry with roots stretching back to the third century BC.

What drew Wijeratne in, though, was not only the historical significance of the subject, but the nature of what Hornel chose to capture. “I saw these photos and saw sociocultural aspects of living in Sri Lanka,” he said. “Nothing to do with the British Raj, but people doing their day-to-day work.”

That perspective shapes the book’s tone. The images move through scenes of labour and routine rather than power and administration. Tea pluckers. Fishermen. Temporary settlements built around the pearl fisheries. A country observed in motion, without overt framing. 

“I thought, why not expose these photos to the Sri Lankan community, especially to the younger generation who have never heard of these things,” he added.

The path to publication was gradual. The photographs, held by the National Trust for Scotland, came into focus through Wijeratne’s links with the International National Trusts Organisation. An earlier exhibition, ‘A Scottish Artist in Ceylon,’ where Wijeratne played a crucial role, generated strong public interest, and it was this interest which led to the decision to expand the work into a book.

“That response encouraged me to write a book,” he said, before pausing. “But I wasn’t qualified to write. So I looked for people who were.”

The final volume brings together contributions from a range of writers and specialists, including Prof. J.B. Disanayaka and Somasiri Devendra, each adding layers of interpretation to the images. The result is not a single narrative, but a set of readings that place the photographs within broader historical and cultural contexts.

Alongside the images, Wijeratne also reflected on moments from his research that shifted his own understanding. 

He spoke of Sri Lanka’s early connections with the Roman Empire, noting that the island’s iron was once among the purest traded. He also referenced an image of Cleopatra wearing an earring of Sri Lankan pearls, said to have been gifted by Mark Antony. These details widen the frame, placing the island within older global exchanges.

If the book emerges from research and preservation, its publication reflects a different kind of commitment. Jetwing Symphony Chairman Hiran Cooray acknowledged that the decision to support the project had not been based on immediate familiarity.

“We’ve published books before. I had, in fact, purchased Wijeratne’s earlier book on preserving Colombo. I hadn’t heard of Hornel at that point, and the concept of Ceylon in 1907 also didn’t make sense at first, but since this was something for future generations, we decided that we should do it and now we have,” he said. 

That perspective aligns with Jetwing’s broader work in heritage restoration. Cooray spoke candidly about the challenges involved in acquiring and restoring historic homes across the country.

“When we try to buy them, we also learn what a mess some people have left these heritage homes in,” he said, adding that Jetwing had recently expanded these efforts into the north, including a second property in Jaffna, while also encouraging members of the diaspora to return and invest in preservation.

Within that context, the book sits as part of a wider effort to document and safeguard cultural memory. For Wijeratne, who positions himself as more comfortable working with buildings than with text, the process remained collaborative throughout. He acknowledged the contributors, editors, and designers who shaped the final publication, along with Jetwing’s role in bringing it to print.

What remains is a body of work that returns a set of images to the place they once recorded. Not as artefacts alone, but as something to be seen again and understood differently.

Info box

‘Ceylon in 1907: Hornel’s Photographic Survey of Life on the Island’ is now available for purchase at Jetwing Colombo Seven and Jetwing Luxury Reserves properties