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{{Short description|British photographer}}
]
{{other people||Samuel Bourn}}
⚫ '''Samuel Bourne''' (] ] &ndash; ] ]) <ref> '']''.</ref> was a ] ] known for his work in ] where for prolific seven years 1863-1870 <ref>''Early Photographs and Early Photographers: A Survey in Dictionary Form'', by Oliver Mathews. Edition: illustrated. Published by Reedminster Publications, 1973. ISBN 0859450015. ''Page 37''.</ref>. The company, ] he set up with ] first in ] in 1863 and later in ] (Calcutta), still exists today <ref> '']</ref><ref> ''], ], ].</ref>.
{{More footnotes needed|date=March 2009}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox person
⚫ | name = Samuel Bourne
| image = Portrait of Samuel Bourne, 1864.jpg
| birth_date = 30 October 1834
| birth_place = ], England
| death_date = 24 April 1912
| occupation = Photographer
| style = Landscapes, Ethnographic Portraits
}}


⚫ '''Samuel Bourne''' (30 October 1834 – 24 April 1912)<ref> '']''.</ref> was a British ] known for his prolific seven years' work in India, from 1863 to 1870.<ref>''Early Photographs and Early Photographers: A Survey in Dictionary Form'', by Oliver Mathews. Edition: illustrated. Published by Reedminster Publications, 1973. {{ISBN|0-85945-001-5}}. ''Page 37''.</ref> Together with ], he set up ] first in ] in 1863 and later in ] (Calcutta); the company closed in June 2016.<ref>http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/Oldest-running-studio-in-the-world-shuts-down/article14433884ece{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} '']''</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522115509/http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=246630 |date=22 May 2013 }} ''], 19 July 2007.''</ref>
==Biography==
⚫ Samuel Bourne was born into an old farming family, at Arbour Farm, ], ] in 1834. After being educated by a clergyman near Fairburn, he secured a job with Moore and Robinson's Bank, Nottingham in 1855. His amateur photographic activities started at about this time and he quickly became and accomplished landscape photographer, and was soon lecturing on photography and contributing technical articles on photography to several photographic journals.


== Early life and education ==
⚫ In 1858 Bourne made a photographic tour of the ], and in 1859, displayed photographs at the Nottingham Photographic Society's annual Exhibition. In the following year, his photographs were also shown in ], and his work was well received at the London International Exhibition of 1862. In this year, he gave up his position at the bank, and set sail for India, to work as a professional photographer; arriving in ] early in 1863.
⚫ Samuel Bourne was born on 30 October 1834, at Napley Heath, near ], on the ] and ] border to Thomas Bourne (b. 1804) and his wife Harriet ''née'' Dobson (''b''. 1802).<ref>England, Staffordshire Parish Register, Mucklestone, St Mary (1834), #1048</ref><ref>{{Cite ODNB|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/38594|title=Samuel Bourne|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/38594|access-date=2016-11-11}}</ref> After being educated by a clergyman near Fairburn, he secured a job with Moore and Robinson's Bank, Nottingham in 1855. His amateur photographic activities started at about this time and he quickly became an accomplished landscape photographer, soon lecturing on photography and contributing technical articles to several photographic journals.


⚫ In 1858, Bourne made a photographic tour of the ], and in 1859, displayed photographs at the Nottingham Photographic Society's annual exhibition. The following year, his photographs were also shown in London, at the London International Exhibition of 1862. This reception he received motivated him to give up his position at the bank, and set sail for India to work as a professional photographer; arriving in ] early in 1863.
]
⚫ He initially set up in partnership with an already established Calcutta photographer, William Howard. They moved up to ], where they established a new studio ‘Howard & Bourne’, to be joined in 1864 by ], to form ‘Howard, Bourne & Shepherd’; which would, by 1866 after the departure of Howard, become ‘Bourne & Shepherd’, under which name, it became the premier photographic studio in India, and is still trading in Calcutta today; perhaps the world’s oldest photographic business. Charles Shepherd evidently remained in Simla, to carry out the commercial and portrait studio work, and to supervise the printing and marketing of Bourne’s landscape and architectural studies, whilst Bourne was away traveling around the sub-continent.


== Work in India ==
⚫ Bourne spent six extremely productive years in India, and by the time he had returned to England in January 1871, he had made approximately 2,200 fine images of the landscape and architecture of India and the ]. Working primarily with a 10x12&nbsp;inch plate camera, and using the complicated and laborious Wet Plate ], the impressive body of work he produced was always of superb technical quality and often of artistic brilliance. His ability to create superb photographs whilst travelling in the remotest areas of the Himalayas and working under the most exacting physical conditions, places him firmly amongst the very finest of nineteenth century travel photographers.
⚫ He initially set up in partnership with an already established Calcutta photographer, William Howard. They moved up to ], where they established a new studio 'Howard & Bourne', to be joined in 1864 by ], to form 'Howard, Bourne & Shepherd'. By 1866, after the departure of Howard, it became 'Bourne & Shepherd', which became the premier photographic studio in India, and until it closed in June 2016<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/Oldest-running-photo-studio-in-the-world-shuts-down/article14433884.ece|title = Oldest running photo studio in the world shuts down|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 19 June 2016}}</ref> was perhaps the world's oldest photographic business.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} Charles Shepherd evidently remained in Simla, to carry out the commercial and portrait studio work, and to supervise the printing and marketing of Bourne's landscape and architectural studies, whilst Bourne was away travelling around the sub-continent.


⚫ Bourne spent six extremely productive years in India, and by the time he returned to England in January 1871, he had made approximately 2,200 fine images of the landscape and architecture of India and the ]. Working primarily with a 10x12;inch plate camera, and using the complicated and laborious Wet Plate ], the impressive body of work he produced was always of superb technical quality and often of artistic brilliance.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} His ability to create superb photographs whilst travelling in the remotest areas of the Himalayas and working under the most exacting physical conditions, places him firmly amongst the very finest of nineteenth century travel photographers.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}
⚫ On 29 July 1863, he left Simla on the first of his three major Himalayan photographic expeditions. With a retinue of some 30 porters to carry his equipment, he travelled across the Simla Hills to Chini, in the Valley of the ], 160 miles north-east of Simla, and spent some time photographing in the Chini-Sutlej River area, before heading up to the borders of Spiti, and returning to Simla on 12 October 1863, with 147 fine negatives.


⚫ On 29 July 1863, he left Simla on the first of his three major Himalayan photographic expeditions. With a retinue of some 30 porters to carry his equipment, he travelled across the Simla Hills to Chini, in the Valley of the ], 160 miles north-east of Simla, and spent some time photographing in the Chini-Sutlej River area, before heading up to the borders of Spiti, and returning to Simla on 12 October 1863, with 147 fine negatives.
⚫ In the following year, Bourne set out on another major trip, this time a nine month trip to ]. Leaving ] on 17 March, he journeyed north-east to Kangra and from there, via Byjnath, Holta, ] and Dalhousie, to Chamba. From there, he went on to Kashmir, arriving on the borders on 8 June and by the middle of the month had reached the Chenab Valley. The following weeks were spent photographing the scenery of Kashmir before proceeding to Srinagar, where he stopped for some weeks, sight seeing and photographing before continuing his journey on 15 September. The return journey took in the Sind Valley, ], ], ] and Cawnpore (now ]) before arriving in Lucknow on Christmas Eve 1864.


⚫ In the following year, Bourne set out on another major trip, this time a nine-month trip to ]. Leaving ] on 17 March, he journeyed north-east to Kangra and from there, via Byjnath, Holta, ] and Dalhousie, to Chamba. From there, he went on to Kashmir, arriving on the borders on 8 June; by the middle of the month had reached the Chenab Valley. The following weeks were spent photographing the scenery of Kashmir before proceeding to Srinagar, where he stopped for some weeks, sight seeing and photographing before continuing his journey on 15 September. The return journey took in the Sind Valley, ], ], ] and Cawnpore (now ]) before arriving in Lucknow on Christmas Eve 1864.
⚫ Bourne's third and last major trip was perhaps his most ambitious; consisting of a six month journey in the Himalayas with the goal of reaching and photographing the source of the Ganges. He left Simla on the 3rd July 1866, in the company of Dr. G.R. Playfair (brother of the famous English politician Dr. ]), and travelled with him through Kulu and Lahaul, over the Kunzum Pass into the Spiti valley, where they later parted company. Bourne then continued on alone (except for his forty porters!); over the Manirung Pass, where he took spectacular views of the 18,600&nbsp;foot high pass; which remained for the next twenty years, the highest altitude photographs that had yet been taken. Thence, down to the junction of the ] and ]s and on to Sungnam and the Buspa Valley. He then climbed up over the Neela Pass, and down into the Upper Ganges Valley, where he journeyed on up to the ]. There he went on to photograph one of the prime sources of the Ganges, as it issued from the mouth of the glacial ice cave at ]. His return journey took in ], ], ], ] and ], and he arrived back in ], again in time for Christmas!


⚫ ]Bourne's third and last major trip was perhaps his most ambitious; consisting of a six-month journey in the Himalayas with the goal of reaching and photographing the source of the Ganges. He left Simla on 3 July 1866, in the company of Dr. G.R. Playfair (brother of the famous English politician Dr. ]), and travelled with him through Kulu and Lahaul, over the Kunzum Pass into the Spiti valley, where they later parted company. Bourne then continued on alone (except for his forty porters!); over the Manirung Pass, where he took spectacular views of the 18,600&nbsp;foot high pass; which held the record for the highest altitude photographs that had yet been taken for twenty years.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} Thence, down to the junction of the ] and ]s and on to Sungnam and the Buspa Valley. He then climbed up over the Neela Pass, and down into the Upper Ganges Valley, where he journeyed on up to the ]. There he went on to photograph one of the prime sources of the Ganges, as it issued from the mouth of the glacial ice cave at ]. His return journey took in ], ], ], ] and ], and he arrived back in ], again in time for Christmas! He wrote extensively about his travels in the Himalayas (one of the very few photographers in India to do so), in a long series of letters, which appeared in The British Journal of Photography, between 1863 and 1870.
⚫ The studio business prospered, and in 1866, they opened a second branch in ], where they ran a portrait studio, and their work was widely retailed throughout the subcontinent by agents and in Britain through wholesale distributors <ref> '']''.</ref>. In 1867 he went briefly back to England, in order to marry Mary Tolley, daughter of a wealthy ] businessman; and they both returned to India again later that year, where he continued to travel around the country, producing some 500 more fine images, before departing from Bombay to return permanently to England, in November 1870. His work as travelling landscape and architectural photographer for Bourne & Shepherd studios was taken over by Colin Murray, who continued taking fine images of India, in a very similar style, and later went on to take over the management of the business.


⚫ The studio business prospered, and in 1866, they opened a second branch in ], where they ran a portrait studio, and their work was widely retailed throughout the subcontinent by agents and in Britain through wholesale distributors.<ref> '']''.</ref> In 1867 he went briefly back to England, in order to marry Mary Tolley, daughter of a wealthy Nottingham businessman; and they both returned to India again later that year, where he continued to travel around the country, producing some 500 more fine images.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} He departed Bombay for England permanently in November 1870. His work as travelling landscape and architectural photographer for Bourne & Shepherd studios was taken over by Colin Murray, who continued taking fine images of India, in a very similar style, and later went on to take over the management of the business.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}
⚫ ===Back in England===
⚫ Bourne settled back in Nottingham, where he founded a cotton-doubling business, in partnership with his brother-in-law J.B. Tolley. Some time shortly after his return to England, he sold off his interests in Bourne and Shepherd studios, and from then on, had nothing more to do with commercial photography; however his archive of some 2,200 glass plate negatives remained with the studio, and were constantly re-printed and sold, over the following 140 years, until their eventual destruction, in a fire at Bourne & Shepherd’s present studio in Calcutta, on February 6 1991.


⚫ Some time shortly after his return to England, he sold off his interests in Bourne and Shepherd studios, and from then on, had nothing more to do with commercial photography; however his archive of some 2,200 glass plate negatives remained with the studio, and were constantly re-printed and sold over the following 140 years, until their eventual destruction in a Calcutta fire on 6 February 1991.
⚫ He became a very successful and prosperous Nottingham businessman; founding the Britannia Cotton Mills, and becoming a local magistrate. Although continuing to photograph as a relaxation, and belonging to the local Photographic Society, much of his creative energy from this time onwards was devoted to water-colour painting. He died in Nottingham on 24 April 1912.


⚫ == Return to England ==
⚫ Bourne is justly regarded as one of the finest landscape and travel photographers of 19th century India; combining a fine eye for composition with high technical expertise.
⚫ Bourne settled back in Nottingham, where he founded a cotton-doubling business, in partnership with his brother-in-law J.B. Tolley. The business prospered, and Bourne become a local magistrate. Although continuing to photograph as a relaxation, and belonging to the local Photographic Society, much of his creative energy from this time onwards was devoted to watercolour. He died in Nottingham on 24 April 1912.
He wrote extensively about his travels in the Himalayas (one of the very few photographers in India to do so), in a long series of letters, which appeared in The British Journal of Photography, between 1863 and 1870.


⚫ Bourne is justly regarded as one of the finest landscape and travel photographers of 19th-century India; combining a fine eye for composition with high technical expertise.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}
⚫ ==References==
⚫ * Arthur Ollmann, ''Samuel Bourne: Images of India,'' a profound book on Bourne and his photography. ISBN 0-933286-36-8


== Collections ==
⚫ * Hugh Rayner, ed., ''Photographic Journeys In The Himalayas'' by Samuel Bourne. The complete texts of four series of letters by Samuel Bourne to the British Journal of Photography, originally published between ] ] and April 1 1870. Revised and enlarged edition, with 2 additional appendices, containing a Catalogue Index of almost the entire body of some 2,200 photographs, taken by Bourne in India, together with the text of his 1860 lecture ‘On Some of the Requisites Necessary for the Production of a Good Photograph’. 2nd (revised) edition Pagoda Tree Press, Bath, England (2004). ISBN 978-1904289-17-3.
Bourne's work is held in the permanent collections of several museums, including the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Charles Shepherd {{!}} Princeton University Art Museum|url=https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/es/collections/maker/2355|access-date=2021-03-15|website=artmuseum.princeton.edu}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Harvard|title=From the Harvard Art Museums' collections Humayun's tomb, Delhi, Samuel Bourne no. 1362|url=https://harvardartmuseums.org/art/317663|access-date=2021-03-15|website=harvardartmuseums.org|language=en}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Samuel Bourne in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC|url=https://www.nga.gov/collection-search-result.html?artist=Bourne%2C%20Samuel|access-date=17 August 2021|website=National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bridge, India|url=https://www.dia.org/art/collection/object/bridge-india-35248|access-date=2021-03-15|website=dia.org|language=en}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=City with River in Middle Ground|url=https://www.clarkart.edu/artpiece/detail/city-with-river-in-middle-ground|access-date=2021-03-15|website=clarkart.edu}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Loading... {{!}} Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa|url=https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/1336529|access-date=2021-03-15|website=collections.tepapa.govt.nz}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Samuel Bourne. Poplar Avenue, from the Middle, Kashmir. 1864 {{!}} MoMA|url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/45697|access-date=2021-03-15|website=The Museum of Modern Art|language=en}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Brooklyn Museum|url=https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/114597|access-date=2021-03-15|website=brooklynmuseum.org}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Museum|first=Victoria and Albert|title=Village of Sungnam, Hungrung Pass, India {{!}} Bourne, Samuel {{!}} V&A Explore The Collections|url=https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O80629/village-of-sungnam-hungrung-pass-photograph-bourne-samuel/|access-date=2021-03-15|website=Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections|date=1866 |language=en}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{cite web |title=Samuel Bourne |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!?q=Samuel%20Bourne&perPage=20&sortBy=Relevance&offset=0&pageSize=0 |website=] |access-date=9 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609082019/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search?q=Samuel+Bourne&sortBy=Relevance&pageSize=0 |archive-date=2023-06-09 |language=en |url-status=live}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Exchange: The Fort -Agra- Palace of Akhar (marble)/ Taj in distance|url=https://exchange.umma.umich.edu/resources/13222/view|access-date=2021-03-15|website=exchange.umma.umich.edu}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Samuel Bourne|url=https://emuseum.mfah.org/people/2491/samuel-bourne/objects}}</ref> the ],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Samuel Bourne|url=https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/samuel-bourne|access-date=2021-03-15|website=nationalgalleries.org|language=en}}</ref> and the ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bourne, Samuel|url=https://www.sfmoma.org/artist/Samuel_Bourne/|access-date=2021-03-15|website=SFMOMA|language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫ * ''The Imperial Gaze. The Photographs of Samuel Bourne (1863-1870)''. 28 page catalogue of exhibition, with 17 images essay, notes and bibliography. The Alkazi Collection of Photography and Sepia (2004).


==Gallery== == Gallery ==
<gallery> <gallery widths="170" perrow="5">
Image:Sambourneagra1860s.jpg|Photograph of the Taj Mahal. Samuel Bourne, 1860s. File:Sambourneagra1860s.jpg|Photograph of the Taj Mahal. Samuel Bourne, 1860s.
Image:Tajfromriver1860bourne2.JPG|Photograph of the Taj Mahal from the river. Samuel Bourne, 1860. File:Tajfromriver1860bourne2.JPG|Photograph of the Taj Mahal from the river. Samuel Bourne, 1860.
Image:Bournevanda.jpg|Gateway to the Hooseinabad Bazaar in Lucknow, 1863-1866 V&A Museum no. 7-1972 File:Gateway to Hooseinabad Bazaar, Lucknow, India.jpg|Gateway to the Hooseinabad Bazaar in Lucknow, 1863&ndash;66 V&A Museum no. 7-1972
Image:Haridwar from opposite bank of the Ganges, 1866.jpg|] from opposite bank of the ], 1866. File:Haridwar from opposite bank of the Ganges, 1866.jpg|] from opposite bank of the ], 1866.
File:Dakshineshwar Temple - Calcutta (Kolkata) - 1865.jpg|Photograph of Ramnath temple of Newalipore from ''Views of Calcutta and Barrackpore'', taken by Samuel Bourne.
File:Linga chapel dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Plate Figures on the Linga Chapel. Elephanta," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Palace Rajah Bulman Singh dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Palace & Tank. Built by Rajah Bulman Singh. Goverdhun 1311]," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:The Motee Musjid dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "The Motee Musjid. Delhi. 1351," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:The Palace Delhi dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "The Palace. Delhi. Interior of Dewan-i-Kass. 1350," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Mausoleum of Prince Etmad-Dowlah dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Mausoleum of Prince Etmad-Dowlah. Agra. 1232," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:The Mermaid Gate dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "The Mermaid Gate, Kaiser Bagh. Lucknow, 1041," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Zenana Fort Agra dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Interior of Zenana in Fort. Agra, 1224," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:The Taj from Fountain dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "The Taj from Fountain. Agra," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:The Fort Delhi Gate dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "The Fort. Delhi Gate. Agra," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Memorial Well dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Memorial Well, Marble Statue by Marochetti. Cawnpore, 1206," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Palace Goverdhun dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Upper Portion of the Palace, Goverdhun, 1312," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Front of the Motee Musjid dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Front of the Motee Musjid, Agra, 1220," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Burning Ghat dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Burning Ghat, Benares, 1169," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Gate of the Taj dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Gate of the Taj. Bagh View. Agra. 1014," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 22 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 22," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 21 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 21," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 18 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 18," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 17 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 17," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 15 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 15," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 14 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 14," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 12 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 12," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 11 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 11," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 9 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 9," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 8 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 8," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 5 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 5," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
File:Views of India Plate 3 dli A136 cor.jpg|Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 3," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
</gallery> </gallery>


==Notes== ==See also==
* ]
{{reflist}}
* ]
* ]


==References== == Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

⚫ == References ==
⚫ * Arthur Ollman, ''Samuel Bourne: Images of India,'' a profound book on Bourne and his photography. {{ISBN|0-933286-36-8}}
* '']'' * '']''
* Carsten Rasch, ''The photographic work of Samuel Bourne – Photographs of Indien and Himalayas''. {{ISBN|978-3734761-83-6}}
⚫ * Lenman, Robin (ed.) 2005 ''The Oxford Companion to the Photograph'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press)
⚫ * Hugh Rayner, ed., ''Photographic Journeys in the Himalayas'' by Samuel Bourne. The complete texts of four series of letters by Samuel Bourne to the British Journal of Photography, originally published between 1 July 1863 and 1 April 1870. A newly revised and enlarged edition, with additional appendices, including a Catalogue of almost the entire body of some 2,200 photographs, taken by Bourne in India, together with the text of two of his lectures: ''On Some of the Requisites Necessary for the Production of a Good Photograph'' from 1860, and ''The Original Fothergill Process'', first published in 1862. It includes previously unidentified photographs of him during his travels, an enlarged bibliography and other new material, including fragments of Samuel Bourne's own poetry. 3rd (revised & enlarged) edition 2009. Published by '''Pagoda Tree Press''', Bath, England. {{ISBN|978-1-904289-64-7}}
⚫ * Lenman, Robin (ed.) 2005 ''The Oxford Companion to the Photograph'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press)
⚫ * ''The Imperial Gaze. The Photographs of Samuel Bourne (1863–1870)''. 28-page catalogue of exhibition, with 17 images essay, notes and bibliography. The Alkazi Collection of Photography and Sepia (2004).


==External links== == External links ==
{{commonscat|Samuel Bourne}} {{Commons category|Samuel Bourne}}
* *
* at www.rleggat.com * at www.rleggat.com
* at www.geh.org * at www.geh.org
* *
{{19th-century English photographers}}
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 16:09, 18 November 2024

British photographer For other people with the same name, see Samuel Bourn.
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Samuel Bourne
Born30 October 1834
Staffordshire, England
Died24 April 1912
OccupationPhotographer
StyleLandscapes, Ethnographic Portraits

Samuel Bourne (30 October 1834 – 24 April 1912) was a British photographer known for his prolific seven years' work in India, from 1863 to 1870. Together with Charles Shepherd, he set up Bourne & Shepherd first in Shimla in 1863 and later in Kolkata (Calcutta); the company closed in June 2016.

Early life and education

Samuel Bourne was born on 30 October 1834, at Napley Heath, near Mucklestone, on the Staffordshire and Shropshire border to Thomas Bourne (b. 1804) and his wife Harriet née Dobson (b. 1802). After being educated by a clergyman near Fairburn, he secured a job with Moore and Robinson's Bank, Nottingham in 1855. His amateur photographic activities started at about this time and he quickly became an accomplished landscape photographer, soon lecturing on photography and contributing technical articles to several photographic journals.

In 1858, Bourne made a photographic tour of the Lake District, and in 1859, displayed photographs at the Nottingham Photographic Society's annual exhibition. The following year, his photographs were also shown in London, at the London International Exhibition of 1862. This reception he received motivated him to give up his position at the bank, and set sail for India to work as a professional photographer; arriving in Calcutta early in 1863.

Work in India

He initially set up in partnership with an already established Calcutta photographer, William Howard. They moved up to Simla, where they established a new studio 'Howard & Bourne', to be joined in 1864 by Charles Shepherd, to form 'Howard, Bourne & Shepherd'. By 1866, after the departure of Howard, it became 'Bourne & Shepherd', which became the premier photographic studio in India, and until it closed in June 2016 was perhaps the world's oldest photographic business. Charles Shepherd evidently remained in Simla, to carry out the commercial and portrait studio work, and to supervise the printing and marketing of Bourne's landscape and architectural studies, whilst Bourne was away travelling around the sub-continent.

Bourne spent six extremely productive years in India, and by the time he returned to England in January 1871, he had made approximately 2,200 fine images of the landscape and architecture of India and the Himalayas. Working primarily with a 10x12;inch plate camera, and using the complicated and laborious Wet Plate Collodion process, the impressive body of work he produced was always of superb technical quality and often of artistic brilliance. His ability to create superb photographs whilst travelling in the remotest areas of the Himalayas and working under the most exacting physical conditions, places him firmly amongst the very finest of nineteenth century travel photographers.

On 29 July 1863, he left Simla on the first of his three major Himalayan photographic expeditions. With a retinue of some 30 porters to carry his equipment, he travelled across the Simla Hills to Chini, in the Valley of the Sutlej River, 160 miles north-east of Simla, and spent some time photographing in the Chini-Sutlej River area, before heading up to the borders of Spiti, and returning to Simla on 12 October 1863, with 147 fine negatives.

In the following year, Bourne set out on another major trip, this time a nine-month trip to Kashmir. Leaving Lahore on 17 March, he journeyed north-east to Kangra and from there, via Byjnath, Holta, Dharmsala and Dalhousie, to Chamba. From there, he went on to Kashmir, arriving on the borders on 8 June; by the middle of the month had reached the Chenab Valley. The following weeks were spent photographing the scenery of Kashmir before proceeding to Srinagar, where he stopped for some weeks, sight seeing and photographing before continuing his journey on 15 September. The return journey took in the Sind Valley, Baramula, Murree, Delhi and Cawnpore (now Kanpur) before arriving in Lucknow on Christmas Eve 1864.

Vishnu Pud and Other Temples by Bourne

Bourne's third and last major trip was perhaps his most ambitious; consisting of a six-month journey in the Himalayas with the goal of reaching and photographing the source of the Ganges. He left Simla on 3 July 1866, in the company of Dr. G.R. Playfair (brother of the famous English politician Dr. Lyon Playfair), and travelled with him through Kulu and Lahaul, over the Kunzum Pass into the Spiti valley, where they later parted company. Bourne then continued on alone (except for his forty porters!); over the Manirung Pass, where he took spectacular views of the 18,600 foot high pass; which held the record for the highest altitude photographs that had yet been taken for twenty years. Thence, down to the junction of the Spiti and Sutlej Rivers and on to Sungnam and the Buspa Valley. He then climbed up over the Neela Pass, and down into the Upper Ganges Valley, where he journeyed on up to the Gangotri Glacier. There he went on to photograph one of the prime sources of the Ganges, as it issued from the mouth of the glacial ice cave at Gaumukh. His return journey took in Agra, Mussoorie, Roorkee, Meerut and Naini Tal, and he arrived back in Simla, again in time for Christmas! He wrote extensively about his travels in the Himalayas (one of the very few photographers in India to do so), in a long series of letters, which appeared in The British Journal of Photography, between 1863 and 1870.

The studio business prospered, and in 1866, they opened a second branch in Calcutta, where they ran a portrait studio, and their work was widely retailed throughout the subcontinent by agents and in Britain through wholesale distributors. In 1867 he went briefly back to England, in order to marry Mary Tolley, daughter of a wealthy Nottingham businessman; and they both returned to India again later that year, where he continued to travel around the country, producing some 500 more fine images. He departed Bombay for England permanently in November 1870. His work as travelling landscape and architectural photographer for Bourne & Shepherd studios was taken over by Colin Murray, who continued taking fine images of India, in a very similar style, and later went on to take over the management of the business.

Some time shortly after his return to England, he sold off his interests in Bourne and Shepherd studios, and from then on, had nothing more to do with commercial photography; however his archive of some 2,200 glass plate negatives remained with the studio, and were constantly re-printed and sold over the following 140 years, until their eventual destruction in a Calcutta fire on 6 February 1991.

Return to England

Bourne settled back in Nottingham, where he founded a cotton-doubling business, in partnership with his brother-in-law J.B. Tolley. The business prospered, and Bourne become a local magistrate. Although continuing to photograph as a relaxation, and belonging to the local Photographic Society, much of his creative energy from this time onwards was devoted to watercolour. He died in Nottingham on 24 April 1912.

Bourne is justly regarded as one of the finest landscape and travel photographers of 19th-century India; combining a fine eye for composition with high technical expertise.

Collections

Bourne's work is held in the permanent collections of several museums, including the Princeton University Art Museum, the Harvard Art Museums, the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Clark Art Institute, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the National Galleries of Scotland, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Gallery

  • Photograph of the Taj Mahal. Samuel Bourne, 1860s. Photograph of the Taj Mahal. Samuel Bourne, 1860s.
  • Photograph of the Taj Mahal from the river. Samuel Bourne, 1860. Photograph of the Taj Mahal from the river. Samuel Bourne, 1860.
  • Gateway to the Hooseinabad Bazaar in Lucknow, 1863–66 V&A Museum no. 7-1972 Gateway to the Hooseinabad Bazaar in Lucknow, 1863–66 V&A Museum no. 7-1972
  • Haridwar from opposite bank of the Ganges, 1866. Haridwar from opposite bank of the Ganges, 1866.
  • Photograph of Ramnath temple of Newalipore from Views of Calcutta and Barrackpore, taken by Samuel Bourne. Photograph of Ramnath temple of Newalipore from Views of Calcutta and Barrackpore, taken by Samuel Bourne.
  • Samuel Bourne, "Plate Figures on the Linga Chapel. Elephanta," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Plate Figures on the Linga Chapel. Elephanta," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Palace & Tank. Built by Rajah Bulman Singh. Goverdhun 1311]," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Palace & Tank. Built by Rajah Bulman Singh. Goverdhun 1311]," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "The Motee Musjid. Delhi. 1351," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "The Motee Musjid. Delhi. 1351," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "The Palace. Delhi. Interior of Dewan-i-Kass. 1350," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "The Palace. Delhi. Interior of Dewan-i-Kass. 1350," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Mausoleum of Prince Etmad-Dowlah. Agra. 1232," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Mausoleum of Prince Etmad-Dowlah. Agra. 1232," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "The Mermaid Gate, Kaiser Bagh. Lucknow, 1041," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "The Mermaid Gate, Kaiser Bagh. Lucknow, 1041," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Interior of Zenana in Fort. Agra, 1224," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Interior of Zenana in Fort. Agra, 1224," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "The Taj from Fountain. Agra," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "The Taj from Fountain. Agra," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "The Fort. Delhi Gate. Agra," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "The Fort. Delhi Gate. Agra," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Memorial Well, Marble Statue by Marochetti. Cawnpore, 1206," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Memorial Well, Marble Statue by Marochetti. Cawnpore, 1206," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Upper Portion of the Palace, Goverdhun, 1312," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Upper Portion of the Palace, Goverdhun, 1312," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Front of the Motee Musjid, Agra, 1220," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Front of the Motee Musjid, Agra, 1220," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Burning Ghat, Benares, 1169," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Burning Ghat, Benares, 1169," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Gate of the Taj. Bagh View. Agra. 1014," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Gate of the Taj. Bagh View. Agra. 1014," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 22," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 22," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 21," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 21," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 18," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 18," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 17," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 17," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 15," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 15," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 14," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 14," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 12," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 12," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 11," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 11," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 9," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 9," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 8," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 8," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 5," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 5," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet
  • Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 3," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet Samuel Bourne, "Views of India, Plate 3," 1863–1869, photograph mounted on cardboard sheet

See also

Notes

  1. Photographs of India. circa 1862 – circa 1872 – Samuel Bourne Biography Cambridge University Library.
  2. Early Photographs and Early Photographers: A Survey in Dictionary Form, by Oliver Mathews. Edition: illustrated. Published by Reedminster Publications, 1973. ISBN 0-85945-001-5. Page 37.
  3. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/Oldest-running-studio-in-the-world-shuts-down/article14433884ece
  4. Bourne & Shepherd, Esplanade , Kolkata, India – Image Flickr
  5. Photography bastion in a shambles Archived 22 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine Indian Express, 19 July 2007.
  6. England, Staffordshire Parish Register, Mucklestone, St Mary (1834), #1048
  7. "Samuel Bourne". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/38594. Retrieved November 11, 2016. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  8. "Oldest running photo studio in the world shuts down". The Hindu. June 19, 2016.
  9. Bourne & Shepherd (floruit 1865-) National Portrait Gallery.
  10. "Charles Shepherd | Princeton University Art Museum". artmuseum.princeton.edu. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  11. Harvard. "From the Harvard Art Museums' collections Humayun's tomb, Delhi, Samuel Bourne no. 1362". harvardartmuseums.org. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  12. "Samuel Bourne in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC". National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  13. "Bridge, India". dia.org. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  14. "City with River in Middle Ground". clarkart.edu. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  15. "Loading... | Collections Online – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  16. "Samuel Bourne. Poplar Avenue, from the Middle, Kashmir. 1864 | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  17. "Brooklyn Museum". brooklynmuseum.org. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  18. Museum, Victoria and Albert (1866). "Village of Sungnam, Hungrung Pass, India | Bourne, Samuel | V&A Explore The Collections". Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  19. "Samuel Bourne". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  20. "Exchange: The Fort -Agra- Palace of Akhar (marble)/ Taj in distance". exchange.umma.umich.edu. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  21. "Samuel Bourne".
  22. "Samuel Bourne". nationalgalleries.org. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  23. "Bourne, Samuel". SFMOMA. Retrieved March 15, 2021.

References

  • Arthur Ollman, Samuel Bourne: Images of India, a profound book on Bourne and his photography. ISBN 0-933286-36-8
  • Bourne & Shepherd (floruit 1865-) National Portrait Gallery
  • Carsten Rasch, The photographic work of Samuel Bourne – Photographs of Indien and Himalayas. ISBN 978-3734761-83-6
  • Hugh Rayner, ed., Photographic Journeys in the Himalayas by Samuel Bourne. The complete texts of four series of letters by Samuel Bourne to the British Journal of Photography, originally published between 1 July 1863 and 1 April 1870. A newly revised and enlarged edition, with additional appendices, including a Catalogue of almost the entire body of some 2,200 photographs, taken by Bourne in India, together with the text of two of his lectures: On Some of the Requisites Necessary for the Production of a Good Photograph from 1860, and The Original Fothergill Process, first published in 1862. It includes previously unidentified photographs of him during his travels, an enlarged bibliography and other new material, including fragments of Samuel Bourne's own poetry. 3rd (revised & enlarged) edition 2009. Published by Pagoda Tree Press, Bath, England. ISBN 978-1-904289-64-7
  • Lenman, Robin (ed.) 2005 The Oxford Companion to the Photograph (Oxford: Oxford University Press)
  • The Imperial Gaze. The Photographs of Samuel Bourne (1863–1870). 28-page catalogue of exhibition, with 17 images essay, notes and bibliography. The Alkazi Collection of Photography and Sepia (2004).

External links

19th-century English photographers
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