Two years ago I began cataloguing photographs in the Nottingham Central Library Local Studies Archive. So far I have catalogued over 70 boxes of lantern slides most of which were 'photographer not known', but last week was rather exciting, a box of 44 slides of which 39 were signed S.Bourne. The box was labelled 'High Pavement'. Samuel Bourne was involved with the High Pavement Chapel in Nottingham.
I have a problem now. Are these slides a new discovery or are they slides made from known photographs? Were they available for sale or were they personal holiday snaps used for a slide show at the chapel?
There are some images of Arthog in Wales and one of Exeter Cathedral. Other views include Cannes, Promenade des Anglais Nice and Mentone in France and also Ullswater.
I would be most grateful for any help, advice or pointers to discover more about these slides.
NB. Please do not ask to see the slides. I am a volunteer, I work one morning a week and have no budget. This project is in its very early stages and the library staff are already very busy.
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Bourne was sold/given/loaned lenses by Thomas Grubb in 1865 - these were 'Patent Doublets' and the forerunner of the Rapid Rectilinear patented the next year by Dallmeyer. I have two and they appear to cover 3" x 3" ish so were almost certainly intended for use as stereo lenses. So I assume he would have used them for stereo and small format (of the day) photography. Unfortunately it is very difficult to be certain of the use of such lenses and what was taken on them although Bourne is one of a very few photographers who occasionally noted a particular lens was used (he photographed the Mogaung Pass at an altitude of 18,800 feet using a Grubb C Patent lens in 1866 for example).
Thank you Paul. Do you know of any stereo photos by Bourne?
I am aware that in his account of his Kashmir expedition in the British Journal of Photography, Bourne refers to Grubb's aplanatic lens and Dallmeyer's triplet lens and 12"X10" and 8"x 4 1/2" plates. In his account of the High Himalayas expedition he refers to a single 15" aplanatic lens and 13"x8" plates and 12"X10" plates.
I have a small collection of sterocards, views of the Sutlej Valley, appearing to date from the early to mid 1860's, which I have always suspected were taken by Bourne, including the 'Bridge over the Sutlej at Wangtu', which is very similar to his 1863 view, however these stereos are all unsigned.
I have never seen any other stereocards that were officially published and titled by Bourne & Shepherd. In his writings Bourne decried the production of any small format images; however, he did produce a lot small format prints, especially from his 1864 Kashmir trip, when most of his 10x12 in plates got broken, and had to be cut down to smaller formats 71/2 x4 in. & 4x41/4 in. Many of these smaller images were then also trimmed down and sold as cdv's, including some from other parts of India. I have always assumed that he did also use a stereo camera to produce these, but although I have a substantial collection of his cdv's, I have never manage to find the 2 slightly differing versions of the same view that could be reassembled into a stereo image!
From what I have read Bourne must have taken stereo images (why else would he have a lens capable of taking them?) but few seem to have been labelled showing him as the photographer. Solomon (Grubb's London agent in the mid-1860s) is quoted in the photographic press saying that Bourne had left for India with the Doublet lenses though (1865) so I assume that he must have used them just after this date.
That's interesting. You would think stereo photos of India would have been popular. Perhaps there were some difficulties taking them under some of the conditions experienced in the mountains.
Some of Bourne's photos were available in cartes de visite format.
Another box of Samuel Bourne Lantern Slides. 'The Torquay series' including photos of Torquay, Babbacombe and Cockington and several photos of Killarney and Barmouth.
This is a very interesting discovery. I've never seen any Bourne lanternslides of his English and European work, and it would be interesting to know if there are any of his early photographs in this collection, dating from the late 1850's to early 1860's, taken before he left for India in 1863. (At some point in the future, when they are finally available to view, I'll have to come up to Nottingham to look at them properly). Will they eventually be scanned and made available to view online? (That would save me a long drive!)
I do have a small collection of Bourne's Indian lanternslide views, mainly his Himalayan landscapes, which are mostly signed and numbered by him 'Bourne' with a catalogue number, and which were simply copies made from his large format albumen prints. They were presumably produced by Bourne & Shepherd studios in India, although some were also distributed by lanternslide dealers in the UK, although it's not clear whether they manufactured them here, from imported prints, or just imported them directly from India. I've never seen any of his photographs signed 'S. Bourne', although I do have some of his watercolour paintings, done in the 1880's to 1900's, which were so signed, so presumably these slides also date from this later period of his life.
Thanks Hugh. I met you at a seminar on 'India's Place in Photography's World' at the Science Museum a few years ago. I don't think that these lantern slides are early photographs. Pauline Heathcote mentioned that Bourne had taken photographs in the South of France after he returned from India.
Nottm Central Library has some of Bourne's early photographs of Nottingham and these are available on the 'Picture Nottingham' website in the 'Image Gallery' ref nos. NTGM003179, NTGM003180, NTGM003181, NTGM003182, NTGM003187, NTGM010629.
The lantern slides have a piece of paper stuck to them bearing the title and S.Bourne. I think there may be some interest in them if they were digitised and made available to view online.
I think Colin Osman included a reference to Bourne in his The British Worker in Photographs exhibition and catalogue he put together. If I recall correctly, these were images made underground in the Notts/Derby coalfield. They were sourced from the local studies collection, Nottingham Central Library.
Colin Osman's book has photos taken underground by John Charles Burrow in Camborne, but unfortunately, none by Samuel Bourne.
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