John Burke
Camp and Abattis At Sherpur. 5th Punjaub Infantry. 25th Dec 1879.

Camp and Abattis At Sherpur. 5th Punjaub Infantry. 25th Dec 1879.

© Simon Norfolk / Gallery Luisotti

Camp and Abattis At Sherpur. 5th Punjaub Infantry. 25th Dec 1879.
Camp and Abattis At Sherpur. 5th Punjaub Infantry. 25th Dec 1879.
ArtistBritish, 1843(?)–1900
ArtistBritish, born Nigeria, 1963
CultureBritish
Titles
  • Camp and Abattis At Sherpur. 5th Punjaub Infantry. 25th Dec 1879.
  • This picture was taken two days after one of the fiercest battles of the war. A force of 50,000 Afghans besieged and then attacked the cantonment and were repulsed by the defenders making special use of the new ‘Gatling’ machine guns. Why Burke didn’t photograph the aftermath is a mystery – more than 3,000 Afghan bodies lay on the battlefield.
  • from the portfolio Burke + Norfolk: Photographs from the War in Afghanistan
DateDecember 25, 1879, printed September 2011
Place depictedKabul, Afghanistan
MediumChromogenic print
DimensionsImage: 9 5/8 × 14 15/16 in. (24.4 × 38 cm)
Sheet: 15 × 20 in. (38.1 × 50.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Morris Weiner
Object number2016.224.74
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description

Chromogenic print; copy of albumen silver print.




ProvenanceThe artist; [Gallery Luisotti, Santa Monica, California]; purchased by Morris Weiner, Houston, 2012; given to MFAH, 2016.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Signed and numbered in original image, recto, lower right: Burke 190

Stamped in black ink, verso, lower right: BY APPOINTMENT // JNO : BURKE // LATE // BAKER & BURKE // ARTISTE PHOTOGRAPHER // PUNJAB.

Stamped in black ink, verso, lower right: Burke + Norfolk // Photographs from the war in Afghanistan // by John Burke and Simon Norfolk // Printed by Simon Norfolk, September 2011 // An archival, digital, chromogenic print on Fujicolor Crystal Archive // Photograph by John Burke // From a scan made by The Wilson Centre for Photography // One of 104 prints in a Burke + Norfolk portfolio special edition // Edition number 1 of eight [1 is handwritten in pencil over a stamped underline]
Signed and numbered in original image, recto, lower right: Burke 190

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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Durbar in Sherpur Cantonments.
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John Burke
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Buddhist Temple excavated at Ali Musjid.
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Panorama Of The City Of Cabul & Surroundings. Taken from Bala Buhj. Shepur in the Distance.
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John Burke
1878–1880, printed September 2011
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Bala Hissar Palace. Cabul.
John Burke
1878–1880, printed September 2011
Chromogenic print
2016.224.94