In 1863 Samuel Bourne (1834-1912) arrived in India. He had left his job as a Nottingham bank clerk in order to develop a 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. He began his second trip, during which this photograph was taken, in March 1864. It was to be a nine-month expedition through the Kashmir region.

Throughout his travels Bourne wrote about his first impressions of the places he visited and these writings were published in the British Journal of Photography. Of Dalhousie, he noted: “Dalhousie is situated 8,000 feet above the plains, on the summit of a range commanding an extensive prospect on every side. On one side the plains are visible to Lahore; on the other, range follows range to the boundary of snow which skirts the horizon. The views from it are too distant and extensive to be caught by the camera, and the views of it are not characterised by much that is picturesque or romantic.” Bourne, S, Narrative of a Photographic Trip to Kashmir (Cashmere) and Adjacent Districts, The British Journal of Photography, 2 November 1866, p.524

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.