{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O107949"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107949/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AC7566/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AC7566/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AC7566","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O107949/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O107949","accessionNumber":"53128","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"Ice Cave in the Glacier; - the source of the Buspa","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"This dramatic view of a glacier was captured by the English photographer Samuel Bourne. From July to December 1866, he toured part of the Himalayan region. Bourne was fascinated by the mountains and captured images of them on glass negatives. \r\n\r\nHe wrote about his journey in The British Journal of Photography, outlining his route and in some cases describing the scenes he photographed. Of this glacier he wrote: 'The stupendous glacier…fills up completely the head of the valley – an enormous block of ice hundreds of feet in thickness and several miles long (as far as I could judge, probably ten or fifteen), but I did not explore it. The stream issues at its foot (a full-blown river at once) out of an immense ice cave, called by the natives the “cow’s mouth”…. I was fortunate enough in having a fine, clear morning following the day of my arrival at this spot, and was thus enabled to obtain three excellent negatives of the cave, the glacier, and the peaks by which it was surrounded.’","physicalDescription":"This photograph is one of three taken of the great glacier at the head of the Baspa Valley (the others being museum no 53,126 & 53,127). It is the source of the Baspa river. This image is a close-up view of the cave from which the river flows. Although the cave is made of ice, because of the difficulty of photographing snow, the ice looks like rock. There are snow peaked mountains in the background. The sides of the cave and the banks of the river are covered with stones, rocks and boulders. There are two Indian men in the foreground and they give a sense of scale to the surrounding landscape.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Bourne, Samuel","id":"A8171"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"AAT25687"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[{"text":"Wet collodion process","id":"AAT133299"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Albumen print from a wet collodion glass negative","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2006AC7566"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"011","id":"THES406613"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photograph","id":"AAT46300"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"India","id":"x29790"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1866","earliest":"1866-01-01","latest":"1866-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Width","value":"29.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"photograph","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"23.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"photograph","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"32.9","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"26.6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"mount","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"Signature and negative number in bottom left hand corner","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"The photograph was initially part of the photographic collection held in the National Art Library. The markings on the mount are an indication of the history of the object, its movement through the museum and the way in which it is categorised. \r\nThe mount is white with evidence of handwritten text across the top: India, IIbd\r\nOn the right hand side: Label with A.in.Baspa\r\nBottom left: 'Baspa Vallery: Ice cave inthe glacier - source of the Baspa river' handwritten.","historicalContext":"Samuel Bourne wrote and published an account of his journey in which he mentions the places that he photographed. Below is the relevant section for this photograph: \r\n\r\n'The stupendous glacier in which the Buspa fills up completely the head of the valley – an enormous block of ice hundreds of feet in thickness and several miles long (as far as I could judge, probably ten or fifteen), but I did not explore it. The stream issues at its foot (a full-blown river at once) out of an immense ice cave, called by the natives the ‘cow’s mouth,’….I was fortunate enough in having a fine, clear morning following the day of my arrival at this spot, and was thus enabled to obtain three excellent negatives of the cave, the glacier, and the peaks by which it was surrounded'.\r\n\r\nBourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, March 4 1870, pg 99.","briefDescription":"Photograph of the ice cave in the glacier, source of the Baspa river, India, by Samuel Bourne, 1866.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Bourne, S, A Photographic journey through the Higher Himalayas, The British Journal of Photography, March 4 1870, pg 99."}],"production":"The negative was made in 1866. This print would have been made before March 1867.","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[{"text":"India","id":"x29790"}],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"glacier","id":"AAT8835"},{"text":"cave","id":"AAT8746"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["53128"],"accessionNumberNum":"53128","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":null,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Negative number","id":"THES50273"},"number":"1526"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-15","recordCreationDate":"2004-12-17","availableToBook":true}}