From the ridge above our camp (11,200 ft) before 1895

Frederick Saint John Gore made this photograph of a mountain ridge at 11,200 feet. The image is a reminder that photography in the 19th century was often put in the service of empire, showing faraway lands to those at home. We might ask ourselves, what political purpose did the documentation of mountain ranges serve? Surveying and mapping were key to colonial expansion, and photography like this offered a way to translate experience and information. The image carries an emotional charge, too, inspiring awe at the sublime grandeur of nature, a theme much beloved in Europe at the time, particularly in Britain. To understand its social life, we might ask how this photograph was circulated. Was it intended for a scientific journal or for popular consumption? What did viewers at the time make of it? These are the questions that social historians of art seek to answer.