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Lot Essay
Plate 12 from Photographs of Madura Part III.
Linnaeus Tripe (1822-1902) is widely considered one of the best architectural photographers of the nineteenth century. His work is apparently limited to a period spanning no more than ten years at most, and despite the difficulties imposed by the southern Indian climate, he was to produce large-format negatives of superb quality. He was extremely concerned to produce fine prints which were able to properly represent the photographer's skill, and experimented with different printing techniques, apparently favouring "thin French negative Paper, albumenized," and Hyposulphite of Gold as a toning agent. His efforts proved successful, with prints of exceptional quality.
Tripe served with the East India Company Army from 1839 before rising to the rank of Captain in 1856. His first major photographic work was undertaken while in Burma in 1855, where, as photographer to the British Mission at the court of Ava he photographed 120 buildings, temples and views in just over a month. The following year he was appointed official Government Photographer for the Madras Presidency, a post he held for four years. During this time he produced a series of publications on architecture and places of interest in the major urban areas of the Presidency, of which Photographs of Madura is one, comprising four parts each with descriptive letterpress text. Records from the time document that seventy copies only were published for the Government of the Madras Presidency.
Linnaeus Tripe (1822-1902) is widely considered one of the best architectural photographers of the nineteenth century. His work is apparently limited to a period spanning no more than ten years at most, and despite the difficulties imposed by the southern Indian climate, he was to produce large-format negatives of superb quality. He was extremely concerned to produce fine prints which were able to properly represent the photographer's skill, and experimented with different printing techniques, apparently favouring "thin French negative Paper, albumenized," and Hyposulphite of Gold as a toning agent. His efforts proved successful, with prints of exceptional quality.
Tripe served with the East India Company Army from 1839 before rising to the rank of Captain in 1856. His first major photographic work was undertaken while in Burma in 1855, where, as photographer to the British Mission at the court of Ava he photographed 120 buildings, temples and views in just over a month. The following year he was appointed official Government Photographer for the Madras Presidency, a post he held for four years. During this time he produced a series of publications on architecture and places of interest in the major urban areas of the Presidency, of which Photographs of Madura is one, comprising four parts each with descriptive letterpress text. Records from the time document that seventy copies only were published for the Government of the Madras Presidency.