VIEWS OF DELHI BY BOURNE [SET OF 11]

Albumen print on paper

An attractive collection of classical architectural photos of Delhi taken by Samuel Bourne. Sharp and detailed, the images show some famous examples of the ancient Mughal architecture in Delhi.

The average size of each photograph: 6.6 x 9.6 Inches

The Kutub Minar, Great Arch and Iron Pillar
Samuel Bourne
Albumen print
Circa 1866
8.6 x 11 inches
Frontal view of an ornately carved stone arch in ruins and a slender pillar topped with a decorated capital.
This photograph shows the screen of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. The screen, which is often referred to as the ‘Great Arch', is 6.7 metres wide and 16 metres high. An inscription on the central arch states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak..br.It was one of the first Islamic monuments to be built by Hindu craftsmen in India. The craftsmen used the traditional method of laying blocks of stone horizontally and rounding the sides of individual stones to create the curve of the arch. The screen was ornately decorated with carved calligraphy and repeating scroll-like designs.
The pillar on the left is made of pure iron. It is 7.2 metres high (93 cm of which is below ground) and was brought to this spot from elsewhere. It carries a Sanskrit inscription which records that it was erected by King Chandra, a devotee of the god Vishnu. The king has now been identified as Chandragupta II (AD 375-413) and the pillar is dated to the 4th century. (V & A Museum)

Interior of Palace, Diwan-i Khas or Hall of Private Audience, Red Fort, Delhi
Samuel Bourne
Albumen print
Circa 1866
Interior view of the Diwan-i-Khas, or the Hall of Private Audience, in the Red Fort, an intricately decorated hall, supported by several pillars. The decoration consists of geometric and floral designs and covers the entirety of the hall. (The J Paul Getty Museum)

Ferozeshah Kotla
Samuel Bourne
Albumen print

Another View Nizamuddin Aulia
Samuel Bourne
Albumen print

Kashmir Gate
Samuel Bourne
Albumen print
Circa 1866
View of ruined stone walls with two arched gateways and a bridge over a dry moat. Two native men can be seen standing on the bridge. Also visible are trees and the top of a domed building in the background. (The J Paul Getty Museum)

Panoramic View of Area around Jama Masjid
Samuel Bourne
Albumen print
Circa 1866
Photograph of an exterior view of the Jama Masjid, Delhi. A large number of people stand and sit in a square in front of the mosque. The Mosque was built in 1648.

View from the meadows, showing the Bridge and Fort of Selimghur
Samuel Bourne
Albumen print
circa 1860s
This photograph shows the river Yamuna with a railway bridge running over it. Beyond the bridge on the right-hand side is the Red Fort. On the left-hand side is the Salimgarh Fort, which was built by Islam Shah (reigned 1545-1554) also known as Salim Shah. At the time of his death, only the walls had been constructed, after which it was abandoned. The British built the railway line through the fort. (V & A Museum)

Tomb of Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish
Samuel Bourne
Albumen print
circa 1860s
Photograph of Iltutmish's tomb in Delhi from 'Earl of Jersey collection' was taken by Samuel Bourne in the 1860s. Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish (r.1211-1236) continued to develop the Qutb Minar complex started by his father-in-law Qutb-ud-din Aybak (r.1206-1210). His tomb was built c.1236 in his extension to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. This photograph shows the interior chamber of the mosque decorated with Islamic inscriptions and arabesques carved into the white marble. (British Library Board)

The Purana Kila, Old Fort
Samuel Bourne
Albumen print
Circa 1866
Distant view of Purana Qila from across the dirt plain surrounding it. A high perimeter wall surrounds the fort, with several round bastions at various points along the wall. Humayun's Gate sits on the left side, with two chattris visible atop the Barbican on both sides.

View of Jumma Masjid
Bourne and Shepherd Studios
Silver gelatin print
Circa 1903
Size: 8.6 x 11 inches
View of the Jama Masjid, a large mosque complex with two minarets, large domes, and a flight of steps that leads down from its gate to the street level. Visible in the foreground is an enclosed garden, part of an adjacent building. Also visible are a number of people dressed in traditional garments, engaged in various activities. (The J Paul Getty Museum)

Iron Pillar Delhi
Albumen print
Signed in Negative 1346
Circa 1866
Photo Size: 11 x 9.1 inches

Samuel Bourne (1834 - 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.

In 1859, he 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. (Wikipedia)

Bourne was joined in 1864 by Charles Shepherd, to form ‘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.

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 10 x 12-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.

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