The village of Sungla, with the Buspa Valley below
Photograph
1866 (photographed)
1866 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is one of many images of the Baspa Valley captured by the English photographer Samuel Bourne. From July to December 1866, he toured 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.
Bourne found the Baspa Valley and surrounding area particularly beautiful. This view includes the village of Sungla. He wrote: 'The Buspa Valley is celebrated for its beauty and its shooting grounds; my interest lay only in the former, and the part about Sungla was certainly very fine. Groves of walnut trees clustered thick on each bank of the Buspa, which meandered peacefully through the valley: above these, far up the hillsides, flourished the pine and the sturdy deodar – the whole shut in by lofty mountains…. There was a delightful freshness and beauty about the whole, after the barren and wild scenes through which I had lately passed. I spent three very pleasant days taking views about the valley, and left Sungla with reluctance.’
Bourne found the Baspa Valley and surrounding area particularly beautiful. This view includes the village of Sungla. He wrote: 'The Buspa Valley is celebrated for its beauty and its shooting grounds; my interest lay only in the former, and the part about Sungla was certainly very fine. Groves of walnut trees clustered thick on each bank of the Buspa, which meandered peacefully through the valley: above these, far up the hillsides, flourished the pine and the sturdy deodar – the whole shut in by lofty mountains…. There was a delightful freshness and beauty about the whole, after the barren and wild scenes through which I had lately passed. I spent three very pleasant days taking views about the valley, and left Sungla with reluctance.’
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The village of Sungla, with the Buspa Valley below (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from wet collodion glass negative |
| Brief description | Photograph of the village of Sangla, India, by Samuel Bourne, 1866. |
| Physical description | This photograph is of the Baspa Valley. The Baspa river flows through the valley and is seen here on the left hand side of the image. On the right hand side of the valley, the houses of Sangla village line the mountainside. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Signature and negative number in bottom right hand corner. |
| 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 handwritten text across the top: Topography, etc, India, IIbd. Right hand side: A.in.Sangla Bottom left: Label from Bourne catalogure with 'Sangla: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: 'The Buspa Valley is celebrated for its beauty and its shooting grounds; my interest lay only in the former, and the part about Sungla was certainly very fine. Groves of walnut trees clustered thick on each bank of the Buspa, which meandered peacefully through the valley; above these, far up the hillsides, flourished the pine and the sturdy deodar – the whole shut in by lofty mountains, which on the north side often terminated in sharp –pointed peaks, while those on the south were generally covered with verdure and forest. There was a delightful freshness and beauty about the whole, after the barren and wild scenes through which I had lately passed. I spent three very pleasant days taking views about the valley, and left Sungla with reluctance'. Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, March 4, 1870, pg 98. |
| Production | The negative would have been made in 1866. This print was made before March 1867. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This is one of many images of the Baspa Valley captured by the English photographer Samuel Bourne. From July to December 1866, he toured 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. Bourne found the Baspa Valley and surrounding area particularly beautiful. This view includes the village of Sungla. He wrote: 'The Buspa Valley is celebrated for its beauty and its shooting grounds; my interest lay only in the former, and the part about Sungla was certainly very fine. Groves of walnut trees clustered thick on each bank of the Buspa, which meandered peacefully through the valley: above these, far up the hillsides, flourished the pine and the sturdy deodar – the whole shut in by lofty mountains…. There was a delightful freshness and beauty about the whole, after the barren and wild scenes through which I had lately passed. I spent three very pleasant days taking views about the valley, and left Sungla with reluctance.’ |
| Bibliographic reference | Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, March 4, 1870, pg 98. |
| Other number | 1512 - Negative number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 53114 |
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| Record created | December 16, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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