Artwork Page for Calcutta. The Custom House Landing Place. Shipping in the River Hoogly

Details / Information for Calcutta. The Custom House Landing Place. Shipping in the River Hoogly

Series Title: Photographs of Northern India

Calcutta. The Custom House Landing Place. Shipping in the River Hoogly

1863–70

Samuel Bourne

(British, 1834–1912)
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Culture
England
Medium
albumen print
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2024.5.49
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?

Samuel Bourne, the author of most the images in this album, was a banker in England before he moved to India to become a professional photographer.

Description

The 50 images in this album, all taken in the 1860s, move from the hill towns of the Himalayas down to cities including Lahore (now in Pakistan), Delhi, Lucknow, Agra, Benares (now Varansi), and Calcutta (now Kolkata). Architectural studies of major monuments offer valuable historical records of what sites such as the Taj Mahal and the imperial mosque of the Mughal emperors in Delhi looked like before 20th-century restorations.
A horizontally oriented albumen print in muted sepia depicts a riverbank crowded with commerce. Stacks of wooden barrels dominate the sandy foreground, leading to figures in light wraps standing near the water. Small boats line the left shore, while the middle ground is filled with large sailing ships. Their tall masts and intricate rigging create a dense network of lines stretching across the river against a pale, open sky.

Calcutta. The Custom House Landing Place. Shipping in the River Hoogly

1863–70

Samuel Bourne

(British, 1834–1912)
England

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