Linnaeus Tripe

plate 3 from Tripe's Photographic Views of Trichinopoly (Madras, 1860), salt print from a paper negative, on the original oblong folio mount, titled, dated, and numbered in pencil in an unidentified modern hand, the photographer's 'Photographer to Government' blindstamp and a label, numbered '3' in letterpress, on the mount, matted, 1856-58

Collection of Wilberforce Eames, New York (the complete album)

Acquired by the Newberry Library, Chicago, from the above, 1907

Sotheby's New York, 31 October and 1 and 2 November 1989, Sale 5921, Lot 11

Acquired from the above by Charles Isaacs Photographs, Malvern, Pennsylvania

This plate acquired by the Quillan Company from the above, 1990

Jill Quasha, The Quillan Collection of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Photographs (New York, 1991), pl. 19 (this print)

Other prints of this image:

Janet Dewan, The Photographs of Linnaeus Tripe: A Catalogue Raisonné (Toronto, 2003), cat. no. 6-50, where the title is given as 'Trichinopoly: Rock from the west looking through a gap in the front wall.'

Janet Dewan and Maia-Mari Sutnik, Linnaeus Tripe, Photographer of British India 1854-1870 (Art Gallery of Ontario, 1986, in conjunction with the exhibition), pl. 34

Bruce Bernard, Photodiscovery: Masterworks of Photography 1840-1940 (New York, 1980), pl. 60

Grading this salt print on a scale of 1 to 10 - a 10 being a print that has rich, deep dark tones and highlights that retain all of their original detail - this print surpasses a rating of 10. The print's dark tones are a rich purple/brown, and show a great deal of detail. There is a faint gloss to the print's surface, indicating that it was probably waxed or varnished by the photographer. When the print is examined closely, some very minor scattered foxing can be seen in the sky. Visible in raking light is a .5cm sq. retouched area in the turret on far left of image. The photograph is on a paper mount. The mount is slightly rippled, and shows some wear and soiling along the bottom and left edges. The mount is unevenly trimmed at its top edge.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This photograph shows the massive granite Rock of Trichinopoly, which rises over the plains in the state of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. This dramatic feature of the otherwise flat landscape is beautifully rendered by Tripe in the robustly-toned salt print offered here. The rock's imposing height and precipitous sides made it the ideal site for a fortress, visible upon the rock's summit in this photograph.  The fort-like structure visible in the lower left portion of the photograph is actually a temple.    

The album from which this photograph came, Tripe's Photographic Views of Trichinopoly, was owned originally by the American bibliographer Wilberforce Eames, whose collection was purchased by the Newberry Library, Chicago, in 1907.  Eames, at one time the head of the American History division of the New York Public Library, amassed a large personal book collection, parts of which are now at the Library of Congress, The Huntington Library, and the New York Public Library. 

Tripe authority Janet Dewan records only eight surviving intact copies of Photographic Views of Trichinopoly in institutional and private collections.