Shimla. From Mount Jakko, Looking West
1866
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1866
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a wide valley ringed by mountains, mist clinging to the slopes, and a small town tucked in the folds of the hills. This photo was taken in the 1860s by a British photographer who lugged heavy glass plates up to 12,000 feet. The view is of Shimla, then the summer capital of British India. The buildings are barely visible, but the quiet sweep of the land tells you why the British loved it—cool air, far from the heat of the plains. If you like this quiet mountain light, look up the subject of England—Bourne’s homeland, where photographers were just starting to chase landscapes like this.
