Amerapoora: Shwe-doung-dyk Pagoda

Art Historical Context

Linnaeus Tripe created this striking albumen silver print of the Shwe-doung-dyk Pagoda in Amerapoora (present-day Amarapura, Myanmar) during a British diplomatic mission to the Burmese court in 1855. As an officer in the Madras Army with a passion for photography, Tripe documented the region’s architectural wonders and landscapes with remarkable sensitivity, capturing the pagoda’s tiered silhouette against a serene natural setting. His work stands as one of the earliest photographic records of Burmese heritage, offering Western audiences a rare visual introduction to the country’s cultural landmarks. The image was produced using the waxed paper negative process, a technique well-suited to the challenges of travel in tropical climates. This method allowed Tripe to prepare negatives in advance and develop them later, resulting in the soft tonal gradations and fine detail visible in the print. The photograph reflects the mid-nineteenth-century intersection of exploration, diplomacy, and emerging photographic technology, preserving architectural forms that might otherwise have been lost to time. Today housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, Tripe’s view invites viewers to appreciate both the spiritual significance of the pagoda and the artistic potential of photography as a documentary medium. The composition elegantly balances architectural precision with the surrounding landscape, highlighting the harmony between human-made structures and their environment.

About the Artist

Linnaeus Tripe · 1822–1902

Linnaeus Tripe (1822–1902), born in Devonport, England, as the ninth of twelve children to Mary and Cornelius Tripe, pursued a military career influenced by his sister Emily's marriage to an army colonel. Joining the East India Company's Madras Infantry as a cadet in 1838, he rose to lieutenant in southern India by 1840 and captain in Bangalore by 1854. Extended leave in England from 1850 due to i...