Shadi Bagiar, Entrance to Khyber Pass
1879
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1879
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a rocky mountain path with a few soldiers on horseback and a line of camels carrying supplies. This photo was taken during the Second Anglo-Afghan War. It’s not a battle scene—early cameras couldn’t capture fast action. Instead, it shows the quiet moments between fights: the land, the animals, and the people moving through it. John Burke was one of the first photographers to document this war, and his work gives us a rare look at what it really looked like. If you like this, check out more of the subject: ireland. (Wait—no, that’s a mistake. The photo is from Afghanistan. Look up more of the artist: John Burke.)
