A black and white landscape photograph showing Indian gardeners at work in the grounds of the Madras Club. Five gardeners can be seen at work between rounded bushes in the foreground. The two closet to the camera are dressed in loincloths and turbans, and are holding scythes. A third, further away and with his back to the camera, may be using mower or lawn roller. A pergola with hanging vegetation can been to the the right of the image. Two light-coloured buildings can be seen the background. Both have columned terraces around the ground and first floors, with sections of bunched fabric (possibly shades or mosquito nets) between columns. All the balconies are empty with no people visible. One of the buildings has an empty flagpole on its roof.

The Madras Club was founded in Madras [Chennai] in 1832. Membership was restricted to Europeans during East India Company rule and the British Raj. Indians worked in service roles, such as waiters and (as pictured here) gardeners.

The Madras Club vacated its clubhouse in 1947, when India became independent. It later merged with the Adyar Club in 1963. This year also saw Indian members being admitted for the first time.