Artwork Page for Bala Hissar

Details / Information for Bala Hissar

Series Title: Afghanistan, February 1880

Bala Hissar

1878–80

John Burke

(Irish, 1845–1915)
View all records in artwork set
Culture
Ireland
Medium
albumen print, panorama
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Whitehill Art Purchase Endowment Fund 2024.6.uu
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

This album includes some of the earliest photographs of Afghanistan.

Description

The subject of this album is the Second Anglo-Afghan War, which was fought from 1878 to 1880. John Burke was the first photographer to photograph extensively in Afghanistan and the main photographer covering that conflict. The technology of the day did not permit action shots of battles. As is usual for early conflict photography, the pictures are landscapes of the sites of momentous incidents, views of camps and civil and military infrastructure, and portraits of the soldiers and their leaders.
A horizontally oriented albumen print panorama depicts a tall stone fortress against snow-capped mountains. A vertical seam joins two photographs. In the foreground, figures with medium skin tones walk across a muddy plain, one leading a pack animal. A long wall with rounded towers spans the middle ground, leading toward a large group standing before an arched gateway on the right. The sepia-toned landscape sits beneath a pale sky.

Bala Hissar

1878–80

John Burke

(Irish, 1845–1915)
Ireland

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork