This exhibition of the pioneering 19th-century British photographer Captain Linnaeus Tripe features over 60 of his most striking views of Indian and Burmese landscape and architecture, taken between 1852-1860. Through these early photographs, Tripe explored the possibilities of this new medium, showcasing and documenting archaeological sites, monuments and landscapes, rarely seen in the West. Tripe creates an impression of the world around him, combining the keen eye of a surveyor with the sensibilities of an artist, while giving testimony to his emerging skills as photographer. 

 Linnaeus Tripe,  Rangoon: Near View of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, November 1855.
Linnaeus Tripe, Rangoon: Near View of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, November 1855.

Tripe served with the East India Company army before becoming the photographer for the Madras government, thus giving him the opportunity to explore and capture images of India and Burma.

Tripe was fascinated by the local architecture, and here we’re shown examples of Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic buildings, plus the odd Western monument erected in the far-flung East. He visited early in the morning to capture sites without any people milling about — a strategy modern photographers still use today, and one which lends an empty eeriness to shots.

There is definitely the sense that Tripe was capturing these views for posterity, and taking pictures he thought would be most appreciated by people back in Britain. An abandoned military fort may look out of place in this series but it was the sight of a battle between the British and the French; such inclusions would have gone down well with patriots.

One spectacular feat that stood out for us is a 19-foot panoramic view of a temple wall that Tripe captured by stitching together 21 photographs. It’s not all photographs either; models of some of the temples and pagodas are on show too.