[House, Simla]
1850s
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Image: 10.4 x 17 cm (4 1/8 x 6 11/16 in.) Mount: 27.5 x 23.2 cm (10 13/16 x 9 1/8 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.948.1 (25a)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Himalayan foothills, *[House, Simla]* (1850s) captures a serene colonial residence amid misty mountains and lush landscapes. This albumen silver print, measuring 10.4 x 17 cm on its mount, offers a crisp, detailed view of everyday architecture in Simla—today's Shimla—a favored British hill station in India during the Raj era. The unknown photographer frames the house against towering peaks, evoking the cool respite these retreats provided from India's scorching plains. Produced in the mid-19th century, albumen prints like this one revolutionized photography. The process coated ...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...