High Cliffs at the Spiti River
Photograph
1866 (photographed)
1866 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is one of many images of India 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.
He wanted to visit the junction of the Spiti and the Sutlej rivers (shown here) as he had read about it some years before. He writes: 'It was a hot, fatiguing journey, and scarcely repaid me for my trouble, though the scene at the junction was certainly remarkable. The two rivers had each worn for themselves a deep, narrow channel through the mountains…. Through these narrow gorges, which could not be less than 300 feet deep, the waters rushed in muddy fury time till they co-mingled and flowed on more peacefully in a wider channel….It was difficult to make a satisfactory picture of this scene, striking though it was, as it could only be taken from above. By means of Ross’s wide-angle doublet I succeeded in getting two views of it, though they fail in giving an adequate idea of the depth of these singular passages.'
He wanted to visit the junction of the Spiti and the Sutlej rivers (shown here) as he had read about it some years before. He writes: 'It was a hot, fatiguing journey, and scarcely repaid me for my trouble, though the scene at the junction was certainly remarkable. The two rivers had each worn for themselves a deep, narrow channel through the mountains…. Through these narrow gorges, which could not be less than 300 feet deep, the waters rushed in muddy fury time till they co-mingled and flowed on more peacefully in a wider channel….It was difficult to make a satisfactory picture of this scene, striking though it was, as it could only be taken from above. By means of Ross’s wide-angle doublet I succeeded in getting two views of it, though they fail in giving an adequate idea of the depth of these singular passages.'
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | High Cliffs at the Spiti River (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from wet collodion glass negative |
| Brief description | Photograph of the high cliffs by the Spiti river, India, by Samuel Bourne, 1866. |
| Physical description | This photograph shows the dramatic cliffs surrounding the junction of the Spiti and Sutlej rivers. The clarity of the image is such that it is possible to see the details of the rocks in the cliff face. There is a clump of trees in the bottom right hand corner. |
| Dimensions |
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| 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 evidence of handwritten text on the top: II bd. Bottom left: Label from Bourne catalogue. |
| Historical context | Samuel Bourne wrote and published an account of his journey in which he mentions the places that he photographed. He was anxious to visit the junction of the Spiti and the Sutlej as he had read about it some years before. Bourne writes: 'It was a hot, fatiguing journey, and scarcely repaid me for my trouble, though the scene at the junction was certainly remarkable. The two rivers had each worn for themselves a deep, narrow channel through the mountains – the Sutlej coming from Thibet, the other from Spiti. Through these narrow gorges, which could not be less than 300 feet deep, the waters rushed in muddy fury time till they commingled and flowed on more peacefully in a wider channel. ...It was difficult to make a satisfactory picture of this scene, striking though it was, as it could only be taken from above. By means of Ross’s wide-angle doublet I succeeded in getting two views of it, though they fail in giving an adequate idea of the depth of these singular passages'. Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, 18 February 1870, pg. 75. |
| Production | The negative was made in 1866. This print was made before March 1867. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This is one of many images of India 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. He wanted to visit the junction of the Spiti and the Sutlej rivers (shown here) as he had read about it some years before. He writes: 'It was a hot, fatiguing journey, and scarcely repaid me for my trouble, though the scene at the junction was certainly remarkable. The two rivers had each worn for themselves a deep, narrow channel through the mountains…. Through these narrow gorges, which could not be less than 300 feet deep, the waters rushed in muddy fury time till they co-mingled and flowed on more peacefully in a wider channel….It was difficult to make a satisfactory picture of this scene, striking though it was, as it could only be taken from above. By means of Ross’s wide-angle doublet I succeeded in getting two views of it, though they fail in giving an adequate idea of the depth of these singular passages.' |
| Bibliographic reference | Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, 18 February 1870, pg. 75. |
| Other number | 1474 - Negative number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 53106 |
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| Record created | December 13, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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