Buspa Valley, Gangootri; View at Raksum, on the Buspa c. 1867

Editor: Samuel Bourne’s photograph, "Buspa Valley, Gangootri; View at Raksum, on the Buspa," presents a striking landscape. It’s incredible to see such detail captured in this early photographic process. What stands out to you about its composition and creation? Curator: Considering Bourne’s photographs through a materialist lens, I’m drawn to the labor and processes involved in creating this image. Think about the physical effort required to transport the bulky equipment, prepare the chemicals, and then, the social context: whose labor was involved in supporting his expeditions and how was this landscape transformed through that process? Editor: That’s a perspective I hadn't fully considered. The materiality really highlights the colonial context, doesn't it? Curator: Precisely. Examining the means of production shifts our understanding of the photograph itself.