“Step through this grand 1863 photograph of the Taj Mahal's garden gateway. It offers a rare glimpse of the iconic monument and its surroundings as they appeared over 160 years ago, before modern restorations.”
This albumen print captures the grand entrance to the gardens surrounding the Taj Mahal, a scene of quiet majesty under the Indian sun. The gateway, with its intricate arches and towering minarets, frames a distant, hazy glimpse of the iconic monument itself. Samuel Bourne, who had been a banker in England before moving to India to pursue photography professionally, masterfully uses light and shadow to define the architectural details. The deep shadows cast by the gateway columns create a sense of depth, drawing the viewer's eye through the structure towards the sun-drenched landscape beyond. This photograph is part of an album documenting Northern India in the 1860s, offering a valuable historical record of these sites before later restorations changed their appearance.
- Artist
- Samuel Bourne
- Date
- 1863
- Medium
- albumen print
- Location
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Dimensions
- [object Object]
- Collection
- Photography
- Culture
- England
- Credit line
- Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The distant, faint outline of the Taj Mahal visible through the gateway.
The intricate carvings and decorative patterns on the gateway's facade.
The figures near the base of the arch, providing a sense of scale.
The play of light and shadow, highlighting the architectural forms.
1 more detail is waiting.
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Samuel Bourne
1834–1912 · United Kingdom of Great Britain and IrelandA bank clerk who quit his job, sailed to India, and hauled cameras up 18,600-foot Himalayan passes to capture 2,200 images.
Further Works by Bourne
Agra. The Taj, the Central of Principal City
1863 · Cleveland Museum of Art
Agra. View of the Taj from a Corner in the Quadrangle
1863 · Cleveland Museum of Art
Agra. View of the Taj from the Garden
1863 · Cleveland Museum of Art
Agra. View of the Taj in Front of Nootkan (The Light of the World), Wife of the Emperor Akbar, View from the River
1863 · Cleveland Museum of Art
A Village Scene, Near Calcutta
1863 · Cleveland Museum of Art
Delhi. Gateway of Allahood Deen's Palace, Old Delhi
1863 · Cleveland Museum of Art
Delhi. Tomb of the Emperor Shums ooo deen Allomsh, Builder of the Kootub Minar in the Ruins of Old Delhi
1863 · Cleveland Museum of Art
Delhi. View of North Side of the Jamma Musjid in Principal Mabonedau Place of Worship
1863 · Cleveland Museum of Art
More works to explore
Beyond Bourne: works from the same years.
Same era · 1840s–1870s
The Backgammon Players
Philip Webb · 1861 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1840s–1870s
Two Boats in a Storm
Léon-Victor Dupré · 1870 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1840s–1870s
Paris Street; Rainy Day
Kawabata Gyokushō · 1877 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1840s–1870s
Alfred Sisley
Pierre-Auguste Renoir · 1864 · Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection
Same era · 1840s–1870s
A Sketch
Mariano Fortuny Marsal · 1862 · Hispanic Society of America
Same era · 1840s–1870s
Fish (Still Life)
Édouard Manet · 1864 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1840s–1870s
Mount Madison from the Androscoggin River
William Hart · 1862
Same era · 1840s–1870s
Peasants Bringing Home a Calf Born in the Fields
Jean-François Millet · 1864 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1840s–1870s
Rêverie (Portrait of Gabrielle Borreau)
Gustave Courbet · 1862 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1840s–1870s
A Woman Seated beside a Vase of Flowers (Madame Paul Valpinçon?)
Edgar Degas · 1865 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1840s–1870s
The Banks of the Marne in Winter
Camille Pissarro · 1866 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1840s–1870s
The Beach at Sainte-Adresse
Claude Monet · 1867 · Art Institute of Chicago