Untitled (Village of Sungnam, Hungrung Pass, Himachal Pradesh, India) 1866

Curator: This image, an untitled work by Samuel Bourne, captures the Village of Sungnam nestled in the Hungrung Pass of Himachal Pradesh, India. Editor: There’s a certain desolation to it, isn't there? The stark terrain, the way the village clings to the landscape. I’m struck by the sheer effort required to wrest a livelihood from this place. Curator: Precisely. Bourne, active in the latter half of the 19th century, often documented colonial India, offering a lens into the relationship between the British Empire and the local populations. Consider the social implications inherent in the act of photographing this remote community. Editor: And the labor itself! The glass plate negatives, the cumbersome equipment… it speaks to the material cost, both literal and figurative, of these expeditions and their resulting images. Curator: It compels us to consider whose stories are being told, and from what perspective. Bourne's gaze, though perhaps unintentionally, reflects the colonial power dynamic of the era. Editor: The materiality of the image really brings that into focus. It is a window into the labor and technology, but also a reminder of its own limitations. Curator: Indeed, a single image can open a multitude of historical and social pathways for us to investigate. Editor: A potent reminder to look beyond the surface.