Rapids on the Pykara, Madras

This photograph shows the rapids on the Pykara in the Nilgiris, Madras, India. It was taken by Samuel Bourne (1834-1912) in 1869. Bourne was a highly praised colonial photographer. His technical ability, particularly the clarity and depth of his prints, was admired by his contemporaries. Bourne’s images are considered some of the finest examples of 19th-century travel photography, with his picturesque views of India presenting the subcontinent through British eyes.

Born in Staffordshire, Samuel Bourne’s photographic activities began as a hobby. However, he quickly established himself as an accomplished landscape photographer. In 1863 Samuel Bourne travelled to India. He remained there for seven years, embarking on three successive photographic expeditions to the Himalayas. By the time he left he had produced over 25,000 photographs. He had co-founded the ‘Bourne & Shepherd’ studios with Charles Shepherd. The studios became one of India’s most successful commercial studios in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

This photograph was taken after a brief return to England. The beautiful scenery is created in this image by the cascading river and scrub covered hillside in the background. This photograph was honed by both Victorian nostalgia and colonial desire. The photograph is an albumen print. This process was invented in the 1850s and was most commonly used in the late nineteenth century. The surface of the print is glossy and smooth due to the paper being coated with albumen (egg white).