Photograph of the Nilang Pass, India, By Samuel Bourne, 1866.

Bourne, the photographer, took a series of photographs of the Nilang Pass, of which this is one. This image is of the mighty peaks surrounding the Pass. In the foreground are three figures walking across the snow covered landscape. They serve to highlight the immense scale of the scene.

It was often difficult to photograph snow but here, the light seems to have been enough for him to capture the snowy landscape to great effect.

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 across the top: India
On the right hand side is a label:A.in.Baspa
Bottom left: hanwritten title.

Samuel Bourne wrote and published an account of his journey in which he mentions the places that he photographed. Below are two sections most relevant to this photograph:


'In taking views of snow, unless you get broad masses of it well lit up by the sun, it does not ‘come out’ in the photograph with that purity which conveys the impression of snow’.

'I never beheld such a splendid array of peaks and glaciers; they cropped up on either side, and stood thick around me like icebergs in a polar sea. And as I stood on the crest of the Pass and surveyed this vast region held in the icy fetters of eternal winter, I could not but feel deeply impressed with the sublimity and majesty of nature when beheld in scenes like these'.

Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography:
Paragraph 1, March 4 1870, pg 98
Paragraph 2, march 4 1980, pg 99.

The negative was made in 1866. This print was made before March 1867.

This dramatic mountain view was captured by the English photographer Samuel Bourne. From July to December 1866, he toured part of the Himalayan region. Bourne was fascinated by the mountains and captured images of them on glass negatives.

He wrote about his journey in The British Journal of Photography, outlining his route and in some cases describing the scenes he photographed. Of the Nilang Pass shown here he wrote: 'I never beheld such a splendid array of peaks and glaciers; they cropped up on either side, and stood thick around me like icebergs in a polar sea. And as I stood on the crest of the Pass and surveyed this vast region held in the icy fetters of eternal winter, I could not but feel deeply impressed with the sublimity and majesty of nature when beheld in scenes like these.’

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