William H. Pigou was a surgeon in the Bombay Medical Service and a skilled calotypist. In 1856, he succeeded Colonel Thomas Biggs as the official photographer tasked with documenting India’s ancient monuments. His expertise in chemistry and his ability to work effectively in India’s challenging climate made him well-suited for the role.
That year, Pigou conducted photographic surveys in Vijayanagar near Bellary and at ten sites across the Dharwar and Mysore districts. Later, he revisited Dharwar and Mysore, photographing an additional seventeen sites, including Halebid and Mysore, producing over 150 negatives. Using a large-format camera previously employed by Biggs, Pigou created detailed and architecturally precise images on calotype and waxed- paper negatives, some as large as 16 × 12 inches. He utilized oblique lighting to emphasize the intricate sculptures and facades of monuments. His work was highly esteemed by the Court of Directors of the East India Company.
In 1866, Pigou’s photographs, alongside those of A. C. B. Neill and Colonel Biggs, were published in the album Architecture in Dharwar and Mysore by the Committee
of Architectural Antiquities in Western India. Some of his images were later featured as engravings in James Fergusson’s History of Indian and Eastern Architecture, published in 1876.