John Burke, Views of Ali Khan, Afghanistan, RARE PHOTO.

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John Burke, Views of Ali Khan, Afghanistan, RARE PHOTO.:
$2500.00

Four albumen prints. Pasted to original album pages, pasted back to back.

Photograph taken by John Burke c.1878-80 during the Second Afghan War; The Amir of Afghanistan, Sher Ali (1825-1879), his son, still very young (Prince Abdullah Jan), and Afghan sardars and khans, possibly from a series titled 'Photographs of the Amir Shere Ali Khan and Suite'. A couple of the images show Cd Charles Chamberlain, Henry Walter Bellew and Sir Richard F Pollock in the group images. In addition Bridge of boats across the Indus at Attock. The Attock fort can be seen across the river.

John Burke accompanied the Peshawar Valley Field Force, one of three British Anglo-Indian army columns deployed in the Second Afghan War (1878-80), despite being rejected for the role of official photographer. He financed his trip by advance sales of his photographs 'illustrating the advance from Attock to Jellalabad'. Coming to India as apothecary with the Royal Engineers, Burke turned professional photographer, assisting William Baker. Travelling widely in India, they were the main rivals to the better-known Bourne and Shepherd. Burke's two-year Afghan expedition produced an important visual document of the region where strategies of the Great Game were played out. This image is part of a special series on Sher Ali at the Ambala Durbar of 1869.

Dimensions:

190 by 250mm (7½ by 9¾ inches).