A black and white portrait photograph of an Indian man stood in front of palm tree. His hands are placed together, across his stomach, one is holding a bladed implement. He wears a basket on his right hip. Balancing under his chin is a pole with semicircular crutch attachment at one end. He stands on the bare earth with the trunk of a palm tree behind him, its top out of shot. Two sticks tied together to form an arch are standing on the ground to the right of the image. There is a pot on the ground towards the left of the image. Other palm trees are visible in the background. Original caption (beneath, in ink): ‘Toddy Climber’.

‘Toddy’ is one of many names used in India and Sri Lanka for palm wine. This alcoholic drink is made from the sap of palm trees. A person who performs the dangerous task of climbing trees to collect sap is often referred to as a ‘toddy tapper’ (also ‘toddy drawer’ or ‘toddy climber’) in English.