In the 1920s, German anthropologist Egon von Eickstedt travelled through South India, documenting Adivasi and Dalit communities in Kerala with his camera. Von Eickstedt’s later career was problamatic to say the least, but the gallery I’ve added in the comments is full of beauty.

Eickstedt’s later career casts a shadow over his early expeditions. As Nazi Germany rose to power, he became one of its most prominent racial theorists. His work in India and beyond was cited as “scientific proof” of racial hierarchies, even though his theories were shaped as much by ideology as by data.

[The images we are left with are of the most incredibly beautiful people.](https://www.utterlyinteresting.com/post/portraits-of-people-in-kerala-india-taken-by-egon-von-eickstedt-in-the-1920s)