Valley Near Wangam, Kashmir c. 1867

Editor: This landscape, "Valley Near Wangam, Kashmir" by Samuel Bourne, is a vintage photograph. I’m struck by the way the distant fields seem to be meticulously cultivated, like a textile pattern. How do you see the hand of labor reflected here? Curator: Look closely at the photographic process itself. Bourne, working in the 19th century, used the laborious wet collodion process. Consider the material constraints: transporting chemicals and equipment to remote locations like Kashmir. Editor: So, the image itself becomes a document of that physical effort? Curator: Exactly! The photograph isn't just a representation of the valley; it's evidence of a specific interaction with the land, a colonial gaze mediated by material and technological demands. Editor: That gives me a completely new perspective on landscape photography. Curator: Indeed. Thinking about the social and material conditions of production truly reframes our understanding.