The picturesque village of Dunkar, Spiti
Photograph
1866 (photographed)
1866 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is one of the many images of India captured by the English photographer Samuel Bourne. From July to December 1866 he toured a part of the Himalayan region. He wrote about his journey in The British Journal of Photography, outlining his route and in some cases describing the scenes he photographed.
Here is his description of the history of this view: 'At length we arrived at a curious and picturesque village called Dunkar, the outpost of the British territory in this direction…. The houses were built into the sides of the hill, which have been scooped out by nature into holes and caverns; and the way these had been taken advantage of and built into, until the hand of man and the hand of nature seemed to unite, was ingenious and picturesque. I had taken two views of the village from opposite sites and one or two looking up at it from the Spiti valley, and proceeded to take a closer view of one particular part of the village more picturesque than the rest.'
Here is his description of the history of this view: 'At length we arrived at a curious and picturesque village called Dunkar, the outpost of the British territory in this direction…. The houses were built into the sides of the hill, which have been scooped out by nature into holes and caverns; and the way these had been taken advantage of and built into, until the hand of man and the hand of nature seemed to unite, was ingenious and picturesque. I had taken two views of the village from opposite sites and one or two looking up at it from the Spiti valley, and proceeded to take a closer view of one particular part of the village more picturesque than the rest.'
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The picturesque village of Dunkar, Spiti (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from wet collodion glass negative |
| Brief description | Photograph of the village of Dankar, Spiti, India by Samuel Bourne, 1866. |
| Physical description | This photograph shows the village of Dankar situated on top of a mountain. The houses, built into the side of the mountain and the rocky formations surrounding them create a diagonal across the middle ground of the photograph which contrasts with the plain and empty foreground and the faint and distant mountains rising in the background. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Signature and negative number in bottom right hand side. Museum number and 'kulu' also handwritten on photograph. |
| Object history | The photograph was initially part of the photographic collection held in the National Art Library. The markings on the mount are an indication of the history of the object, its movement through the museum and the way in which it is categorised. The mount is white with evidence of handwritten text at the top. Right hand side: A.in. Aankar Bottom left: Label from Bourne catalogue with 'Dankar village' handwritten below it. |
| Historical context | Samuel Bourne wrote and published an account of his journey in which he mentions the places that he photographed. Below is the relevant section for this photograph: 'At length we arrived at a curious and picturesque village called Dunkar, the outpost of the British territory in this direction…..The houses were built into the sides of the hill, which have been scooped out by nature into holes and caravans; and the way these had been taken advantage of and built into, until the hand of man and the hand of nature seemed to unite, was ingenious and picturesque. I had taken two views of the village from opposite sites and one or two looking up at it from the Spiti valley, and proceeded to take a closer view of one particular part of the village more picturesque than the rest.' Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, january 14 1870, pg 16. |
| Production | The negative was made in 1866. This print would have been made before March 1867. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This is one of the many images of India captured by the English photographer Samuel Bourne. From July to December 1866 he toured a part of the Himalayan region. He wrote about his journey in The British Journal of Photography, outlining his route and in some cases describing the scenes he photographed. Here is his description of the history of this view: 'At length we arrived at a curious and picturesque village called Dunkar, the outpost of the British territory in this direction…. The houses were built into the sides of the hill, which have been scooped out by nature into holes and caverns; and the way these had been taken advantage of and built into, until the hand of man and the hand of nature seemed to unite, was ingenious and picturesque. I had taken two views of the village from opposite sites and one or two looking up at it from the Spiti valley, and proceeded to take a closer view of one particular part of the village more picturesque than the rest.' |
| Bibliographic reference | Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, January 14 1870, pg 16. |
| Other number | 1461 - Negative number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 53093 |
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| Record created | December 9, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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