The Bridge of Boats and Fort from Khairabad
1879
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1879
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a long line of boats lashed together to form a floating bridge across a wide river, with a fort on the far bank. Burke was a photographer, not a painter—this is actually a photo from the Second Anglo-Afghan War. Early cameras couldn’t freeze fast action, so he documented the quiet moments: bridges, camps, and landscapes where battles had happened. The image feels still, like the war paused for a breath. If you like this kind of war-time scene, look up the subject of Ireland.
