Artwork Page for Afghanistan, February 1880

Details / Information for Afghanistan, February 1880

Afghanistan, February 1880

1878–80

John Burke

(Irish, 1845–1915)
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Culture
Ireland
Medium
album of 55 albumen prints
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Whitehill Art Purchase Endowment Fund 2024.6
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

This album includes some of the earliest photographs of Afghanistan.

Description

The subject of this album is the Second Anglo-Afghan War, which was fought from 1878 to 1880. John Burke was the first photographer to photograph extensively in Afghanistan and the main photographer covering that conflict. The technology of the day did not permit action shots of battles. As is usual for early conflict photography, the pictures are landscapes of the sites of momentous incidents, views of camps and civil and military infrastructure, and portraits of the soldiers and their leaders.
An album has a dark reddish-brown leather cover detailed with pressed gold lines forming a rectangular border. Centered in gold serif letters is the text "AFGHANISTAN FEBRUARY 1880." Horizontal gold bands decorate the ridged spine on the left. To the right, a gold-toned metal clasp edges the cover, while the thick pages beneath reveal shimmering gold-gilt edges. The book sits against a neutral gray background.

Afghanistan, February 1880

1878–80

John Burke

(Irish, 1845–1915)
Ireland

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