"Contorted Strata " at Losar
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 of which he took photographs.
Bourne was fascinated by the mountain scenery, and he wrote about the geological features shown here. He comments: ‘A steady descent of some eight or nine miles brought us to the village of Losar…. I took a picture of the village and the valley in which it was situated, also one of a mountain hard by, exhibiting some curious contorted strata.’
Bourne was fascinated by the mountain scenery, and he wrote about the geological features shown here. He comments: ‘A steady descent of some eight or nine miles brought us to the village of Losar…. I took a picture of the village and the valley in which it was situated, also one of a mountain hard by, exhibiting some curious contorted strata.’
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | "Contorted Strata " at Losar (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from a wet collodion glass negative |
| Brief description | Photograph of the mountains near Losar, India, by Samuel Bourne, 1866. |
| Physical description | This photograph shows the dramatic rock formation across the side of a mountain. In the foreground are rocks and some vegetation. Just visible in the foreground are two Indian men, they give a sense of scale to the spectacular landscape. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | Signature and negative number in bottom left hand side. |
| 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 at the top: Topography, etc, india, IIbd. Right hand side: A.in. Losar Bottom left: Label from Bourne catalogue with 'Losar (Spiti) handwritten below. |
| 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: ‘A steady descent of some eight or nine miles brought us to the village of Losar….. I took a picture of the village and the valley in which it was situated, also one of a mountain hard by, exhibiting some curious contorted strata'. Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, December 31 1869, pg 629. |
| Production | The negative was made in 1866. This print was made before March 1867. |
| Subject 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 of which he took photographs. Bourne was fascinated by the mountain scenery, and he wrote about the geological features shown here. He comments: ‘A steady descent of some eight or nine miles brought us to the village of Losar…. I took a picture of the village and the valley in which it was situated, also one of a mountain hard by, exhibiting some curious contorted strata.’ |
| Bibliographic reference | Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, December 31 1869, pg 629. |
| Other number | 1456 - Negative number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 53088 |
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| Record created | December 7, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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