Village of Sonamurg
Photograph
1864 (photographed)
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.
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. This photograph shows a view of Sonamarg (Sonamurg), a hill station in Ganderbal district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
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.
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. This photograph shows a view of Sonamarg (Sonamurg), a hill station in Ganderbal district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
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 |
|
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from wet collodion negative |
| Brief description | Photograph, 'Village of Sonamurg', albumen print, Samuel Bourne, India, 1860s |
| Physical description | The photograph shows houses and tents in the valley with trees growing up the steep hillside to the right and mountain peaks behind. |
| Dimensions |
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| 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. 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. 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. This photograph shows a view of Sonamarg (Sonamurg), a hill station in Ganderbal district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. 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 | 981 - Negative number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 53017 |
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| Record created | September 16, 2016 |
| Record URL |
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