Nyneedal, General View of the Lake from S.E. c. 1867

Curator: This is Samuel Bourne's photograph, "Nyneedal, General View of the Lake from S.E." Editor: It’s lovely, a sepia-toned dream. The lake nestled in those hills creates such a calm, contained space. Curator: Bourne worked in India in the 1860s. His images were widely circulated, shaping British perceptions of the subcontinent. Editor: I'm fascinated by the albumen print process here; the way the egg whites bind the silver creates this depth. I wonder about the labor that went into preparing the photographic plates on location. Curator: Bourne commercialized the sublime, selling picturesque views to a Victorian audience eager for exotic landscapes. Editor: The material reality contrasts with that romantic ideal. There's a tension between the beauty he captured and the colonial framework in which it was created. Curator: Indeed, thinking about the public role of images like these reminds us how photography can promote specific narratives. Editor: It definitely gives you pause, looking at the process and production, it becomes more complex than just a pretty picture.