Feb 28, 2010

India Various - 1910

Got these images from ebay. Probably photographs taken by some UK military personnel. Date mentioned is 1910, place unknown.

Source: ebay

Feb 21, 2010

Precipices near Nynee Tal, outer range of Himalaya overlooking plain 1865 - by Samuel Bourne

Photograph of precipices near Nynee Tal, outer range of Himalaya overlooking the plain from the 'Strachey Collection of Indian Views', taken by Samuel Bourne in 1865. In the 19^th Century the area around Naini Tal was favoured by the British because it ideally suited their Victorian taste for the romantic pastoral. It was chosen owing to its pleasant climate and spectacular views of forests of pines, firs and cedars and rows of snow capped peaks disappearing in the distance. It became a venue for leisure activities and the area rapidly acquired a reputation as a sanatorium.

Source: British Library online gallery (http://bl.uk)

View near Teranda, Himalaya 1863 - by Samuel Bourne

Photograph of a view near Teranda, Himalaya from the 'Strachey Collection of Indian Views', taken by Samuel Bourne in 1863.

Samuel Bourne, the bank clerk and amateur photographer arrived in India in 1863 during the early years of commercial photography. Photographs taken during three expeditions to Kashmir and the Himalayas between 1863 and 1866 demonstrate his ability to combine technical skill and artistic vision. These views display a compositional elegance which appealed to Victorian notions of the ‘picturesque’; strategically framed landscapes of rugged mountain scenery, forests, rivers, lakes and rural dwellings.

Soure: British Library online gallery (http://bl.uk)

Feb 20, 2010

Wanga Valley, Himalaya 1863 - Photographed by Samuel Bourne

Photograph from Wanga Valley, Himalaya from the 'Strachey Collection of Indian Views'. This photograph was taken by Samuel Bourne in 1863.

The Wanga Valley in the Himalayan foothills was popular with 19th Century Britons because it ideally suited their Victorian taste for the romantic pastoral. It was chosen owing to its pleasant climate and spectacular views of forests of pines, firs and cedars and rows of snow capped peaks disappearing in the distance. These picturesque images represent some of photographer Samuel Bourne’s best work. 'This view of the Wanga valley also invites comparison with Ansel Adams and his pictures of Yosemite. Bourne makes dramatic use of the contrasts between the tall slender trees and the massive mountain behind them, as well as the tonal contrast with their near silhouettes and the aerial perspective which renders the mountain in paler greys, complete with clouds swirling around its summit'.

Source: British Library online gallery (http://bl.uk)

Feb 4, 2010

Vintage Indian Photographs by Gertrude Bell Part - 1

Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator in Arabia, and an archaeologist who explored, mapped, and became highly important to British imperial policy-making due to her extensive travels in Greater Syria, Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1917. Bell, along with T. E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), helped establish the Hashemite dynasties in Jordan as well as in Iraq. She played a major role in establishing and helping administer the modern state of Iraq utilizing her unique perspectives from her travels and relations with tribal leaders throughout the Middle East. During her lifetime she was highly beloved and trusted by British officials and given an immense amount of power for a woman in that time period. (Wikipedia)

These photographs are from 1902