Photo of a Theatrical Group in Bombay from the Lee-Warner Collection: 'Bombay Presidency' by an unknown photographer in the 1870s. This was a studio portrait of a Marathi theatrical group, in costume, posed in front of a backdrop of a European interior. Marathi theatre has a long tradition of performance, incorporating songs and dances, and in the 18th century a popular form of folk theatre developed called Tamasha, with snatches of dance and acrobatic movements. Modern Marathi theatre originated in the mid-19th century.