The Dahlem Museum in Berlin exhibits an incalculable photographic exhibition, ‘Kashmir in 19th Century Photography’, that examines the interest for Himalayan culture seen by the photographers of Victorian times in the 19th century. The exhibition, organized with photographs that come from private German collections, will be open until the 30th of November and it has the support of the Asian Art Museum.

In the exhibition there are photographs of Burke and Baker, William D. Holmes, John Edward Saché and Samuel Bourne, who shaped Indian photography early on, as well as the view on local culture, which is this case refers to Kashmir.

Kashmir is the Asian region located in the valley which is south of the Himalayan mountains, in the northern area of the Indian subcontinent. It was part of India until 1947. when it became independent of England and Kashmir divided itself, leaving a part in India and another in Pakistan.

Due to its geographic location, it’s captivated the travellers that go and visit the Himalaya and try to climb to its summits. It was also the favourite place by large moguls to establish their summer residencies during the 17th century, because there they had lakes, rivers and the richest agricultural production in the area. The constructions made out of wood and the Hindu temples were the favourite materials of the photographers of the time who saw in them beauty and naturality that reflected Indian culture and its aesthetic trends.

Photography arrived in India, then a British colony, after the invention of the process that took place with the salts for paper printing, in 1839. This eased the processes and allowed photography to improve, making the photographers experiment with chemical substances, formats and voluptuous cameras to improve their work. Photography depended on a mix of elements that imposed technique, knowledge, chemical practice and aesthetic trends.

Burke and Baker, born in Ireland, were Victorian photographers who witnessed wars, discoveries, event news and human diversity. They spared no means and survived the most adverse conditions to carry the heavy equipment and the glass plaques in the sharp mountain ranges.

Their most interesting photographs are the catalogues that they published on Murree, a small town on the slope of the Himalaya. They set camp there and created a special headquarters in Murree, close to the leafy valleys of Kashmir, and they became the most famous photographers of the time and transformed Kashmir into a major photographic selling point for its similar alpine nature, which was attractive to both the Brits and the moguls.

This photography on Kashmir is the most splendid contribution of the time to this artistic expression. Today, seeing the images, you can still enjoy the majestic Himalayas and listen to the sound of clear waters running down the streams that these photographers captured with so much effort.

For more information: http://www.smb.museum/smb/kalender/details.php?objID=31832&datum=05.04.2011+00:00〈=en

Nancy Guzman

It’s a good time to enjoy a holiday in apartments in Berlin and also enjoy this great exhibition that invites us to get to know this selfless process to get to capture images of the Himalaya.

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Translated by: aleixgwilliam
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