Major Cavagnari C.S.I. and Sirdars
1879
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1879
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a group of men in military uniforms standing stiffly in front of a tent. Some wear turbans, others have medals on their chests. This isn’t a painting—it’s one of the earliest war photographs. John Burke lugged heavy glass-plate cameras across Afghanistan to document the Second Anglo-Afghan War. He couldn’t shoot battles, so he posed soldiers and leaders instead. The stiff poses feel strange to us now, but they were the only way to show who was there. If you want to see more of Burke’s work, look up John Burke (Irish, 1845–1915).
