Not currently on display at the V&A

Twig Jhula Bridge on the Chenab, near Kishtwar

Photograph
1864 (photographed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

In 1863 Samuel Bourne (1834-1912) arrived in India. He had left his job as a Nottingham bank clerk in order to develop his new career as a photographer. Bourne undertook three treks to Kashmir and the western Himalayas in 1863, 1864 and 1866, during which he photographed his surroundings extensively.

He began his second trip to India, during which this photograph was taken, in March 1864. It was to be a nine-month expedition through the Kashmir region. Throughout his travels he wrote about his first impressions of the places he visited and these writings were published in the British Journal of Photography. Of his first impressions of the River Chenab he noted: "My road now lay for two days up the Chenab Valley, the Chenab being one of the five rivers of the Punjab. But those who have only seen the Chenab after entering the plains, or crossed its sluggish waters by a bridge of boats, can form but little idea of its course through the hills. I marched by its side for about thirty miles, sometimes close to the water's edge, at other times ascending the rocks to a considerable height only to descend again as abruptly by the vilest of all contrivances bearing the name of road. Sometimes the "road" ended, or appeared to end, in a shelving piece of rock, down which or up which it seemed impossible to go; but after studying it for an instant the eye would detect the worn stepping holes, where about an inch of foothold could be obtained. The river rushed and foamed beneath, bearing on its bosom great logs of deodor, which had been cut and floated down from the forests above. Probably not one in thirty of these logs reached their destination, and yet I believe wood cutting is a very profitable business, so valuable is the wood in the plains. ...These two days marching up the Chenab Valley were the hottest I have ever experienced. It was the middle of June, the sun was almost vertical and the heat reflected from the bare rocks on each side was like the blast of a furnace. I might have taken three or four fine pictures on the river, but such a thing was not to be thought of. The heat was too terrible, and there was no standing room for my tent on the precarious pathway which ran along the rocks. It was a relief after two days of this sort of marching to find the road branch off into the open plain of Kishtawar, a fine undulating plateau five miles long by about two wide." Bourne, S, Narrative of a Photographic Trip to Kashmir (Cashmere) and the Adjacent Districts, The British Journal of Photography, 7 December 1886, p.583

This image could be seen to typify Samuel Bourne's desire to create ‘picturesque’ landscape views “according to a rigid conception of the correct components of the ‘picturesque’, elements which included a stretch of water, satisfyingly placed foliage and, ideally, a rustic bridge or other evidence of human presence.” (Falconer, J. 'India: Pioneering Photographers', London, 2001, p.28).

Towards the end of the 1860s, Bourne established a partnership with fellow photographer and Englishman Charles Shepherd (fl.1858-1878) and in the space of a few years Bourne & Shepherd became the pre-eminent photographic firm in India. By the end of 1870 they had three branches, in Simla, Calcutta and Bombay.

Samuel Bourne’s ability to combine technical skill and artistic vision has led to him being recognised today as one of the most outstanding photographers working in India in the nineteenth century.


Object details

Category
Object type
Titles
  • Twig Jhula Bridge on the Chenab, near Kishtwar (assigned by artist)
  • Kistawar (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Albumen print from wet collodion negative
Brief description
Photograph, 'Twig Jhula Bridge on the Chenab, near Kishtwar', albumen print, Samuel Bourne, India, 1860s
Physical description
The photograph shows the Twig Jhula Bridge crossing the Chenab River, near Kishtwar. A figure can be seen crossing the bridge, walking towards another figure standing on the left side of the bridge, facing the viewer.
Dimensions
  • Photograph height: 23.8cm
  • Photograph width: 29.5cm
  • Mount height: 26.5cm
  • Mount width: 33.2cm
Marks and inscriptions
Signature and negative number in bottom left hand corner
Object history
This 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 it is categorised. The mount is white. Bottom Left: Label from Bourne catalogue with some handwritten text.
Production
The negative was made in 1864. This print was made before March 1867.
Place depicted
Summary
In 1863 Samuel Bourne (1834-1912) arrived in India. He had left his job as a Nottingham bank clerk in order to develop his new career as a photographer. Bourne undertook three treks to Kashmir and the western Himalayas in 1863, 1864 and 1866, during which he photographed his surroundings extensively.

He began his second trip to India, during which this photograph was taken, in March 1864. It was to be a nine-month expedition through the Kashmir region. Throughout his travels he wrote about his first impressions of the places he visited and these writings were published in the British Journal of Photography. Of his first impressions of the River Chenab he noted: "My road now lay for two days up the Chenab Valley, the Chenab being one of the five rivers of the Punjab. But those who have only seen the Chenab after entering the plains, or crossed its sluggish waters by a bridge of boats, can form but little idea of its course through the hills. I marched by its side for about thirty miles, sometimes close to the water's edge, at other times ascending the rocks to a considerable height only to descend again as abruptly by the vilest of all contrivances bearing the name of road. Sometimes the "road" ended, or appeared to end, in a shelving piece of rock, down which or up which it seemed impossible to go; but after studying it for an instant the eye would detect the worn stepping holes, where about an inch of foothold could be obtained. The river rushed and foamed beneath, bearing on its bosom great logs of deodor, which had been cut and floated down from the forests above. Probably not one in thirty of these logs reached their destination, and yet I believe wood cutting is a very profitable business, so valuable is the wood in the plains. ...These two days marching up the Chenab Valley were the hottest I have ever experienced. It was the middle of June, the sun was almost vertical and the heat reflected from the bare rocks on each side was like the blast of a furnace. I might have taken three or four fine pictures on the river, but such a thing was not to be thought of. The heat was too terrible, and there was no standing room for my tent on the precarious pathway which ran along the rocks. It was a relief after two days of this sort of marching to find the road branch off into the open plain of Kishtawar, a fine undulating plateau five miles long by about two wide." Bourne, S, Narrative of a Photographic Trip to Kashmir (Cashmere) and the Adjacent Districts, The British Journal of Photography, 7 December 1886, p.583

This image could be seen to typify Samuel Bourne's desire to create ‘picturesque’ landscape views “according to a rigid conception of the correct components of the ‘picturesque’, elements which included a stretch of water, satisfyingly placed foliage and, ideally, a rustic bridge or other evidence of human presence.” (Falconer, J. 'India: Pioneering Photographers', London, 2001, p.28).

Towards the end of the 1860s, Bourne established a partnership with fellow photographer and Englishman Charles Shepherd (fl.1858-1878) and in the space of a few years Bourne & Shepherd became the pre-eminent photographic firm in India. By the end of 1870 they had three branches, in Simla, Calcutta and Bombay.

Samuel Bourne’s ability to combine technical skill and artistic vision has led to him being recognised today as one of the most outstanding photographers working in India in the nineteenth century.
Other number
776 - Negative number
Collection
Accession number
52946

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Record createdAugust 17, 2016
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