Not currently on display at the V&A

Dhul Canal below Chunar Bagh

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. 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.

Bourne 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. This photograph shows a view of the Dal Canal near Srinagar. The Dal Lake connects to the Jhelum River, the westernmost of the five rivers in the Punjab that ultimately drain into the Indus river in Pakistan. The famous Mughal gardens are situtated around this beautiful lake.

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
  • Dhul Canal below Chunar Bagh (assigned by artist)
  • Srinagar (Kashmir) (generic title)
  • Dal Canal below Chunar Bagh (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Albumen print from wet collodion negative
Brief description
Photograph, 'Dhul Canal below Chunar Bagh', albumen print, Samuel Bourne, India, 1860s
Physical description
The photograph shows a view of the canal with a boat on it and a building on the bank to the right. Two figures kneel by the bank on the right and another figure dressed in white stands with his back turned to the camera.
Dimensions
  • Photograph height: 23.5cm
  • Photograph width: 29.3cm
  • Mount height: 26.5cm
  • Mount width: 32.8cm
Marks and inscriptions
Signature and negative number in bottom right 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. 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.

Bourne 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. This photograph shows a view of the Dal Canal near Srinagar. The Dal Lake connects to the Jhelum River, the westernmost of the five rivers in the Punjab that ultimately drain into the Indus river in Pakistan. The famous Mughal gardens are situtated around this beautiful lake.

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
834 - Negative number
Collection
Accession number
53005

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Record createdSeptember 14, 2016
Record URL
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