View of the Manasbal lake near Safapora, Jammu & Kashmir, India 1864

Samuel Bourne captured this albumen silver print, “View of the Manasbal lake near Safapora, Jammu & Kashmir, India,” with a keen sense of visual structure. The image is arranged into distinct horizontal bands of foreground, lake, and sky, creating a serene, almost classical composition. The dark, textured foliage in the foreground, acts as a repoussoir, guiding the eye towards the tranquil expanse of the lake. Light plays a crucial role, with the subtle gradations defining the forms of the trees and the reflections on the water. Bourne uses tonal contrasts to articulate space and distance, particularly in the way the distant shore fades into the pale sky. This photograph operates within a semiotic framework, the lake itself becomes a signifier of the sublime, a visual metaphor for the vastness and beauty of nature. The composition invites contemplation on the relationship between the viewer and the landscape, reflecting broader colonial interests in documenting and framing the Indian subcontinent. The formal arrangement of light and space serves not merely as a record, but as an artful construction of a particular vision of Kashmir.