Bourne & Shepherd
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Photography |
| Predecessor | Howard, Bourne & Shepherd |
| Founded | 1863 |
| Founder | Samuel Bourne, Charles Shepherd, William Howard |
| Defunct | June 2016 |
| Fate | Ceased operations |
| Headquarters | Kolkata , India |
Area served | India, London, Paris (outlets) |
Key people | Samuel Bourne, Charles Shepherd, Colin Murray, Arthur Musselwhite |
| Products | Photographic services, art publishing, photographic prints |
Bourne & Shepherd was a pioneering Indian photographic studio and is recognized as one of the oldest photography enterprises globally. Founded in 1863, it emerged as the leading commercial photography company throughout 19th and early 20th-century India, maintaining branches across the country and outlets in London and Paris, alongside offering mail-order services. A devastating fire in 1991 destroyed a large portion of its photographic archive, resulting in considerable financial setbacks. Coupled with legal disputes involving the Indian government—which owned the studio premises—and the advent of digital photography, these factors culminated in the studio ceasing operations in June 2016 after an impressive 176 years of activity.
History
Certain accounts date the firm’s beginnings to 1862 when British photographer Charles Shepherd partnered with Arthur Robertson to launch 'Shepherd & Robertson' in Agra. This enterprise later relocated to Shimla, merging into ‘Howard, Bourne & Shepherd’, a collaboration between Samuel Bourne, Shepherd, and William Howard. The now-defunct studio was based in Kolkata. Howard’s photographic studio in Kolkata, established in 1840, ranks among India’s earliest photography institutions. Early photographic collections are preserved by entities such as Cambridge University Library, the National Portrait Gallery (London), National Geographic Society, and the Smithsonian Institution.
Samuel Bourne arrived in India in 1863 and teamed up with William Howard to create Howard & Bourne in Shimla. Meanwhile, Charles Shepherd had already set up Shepherd & Robertson in Agra (1862) before moving to Shimla (1864). After Robertson left, Shepherd joined forces with Howard and Bourne to form Howard, Bourne & Shepherd. Between 1863 and 1866, Bourne undertook significant Himalayan photographic expeditions that earned him acclaim as one of India’s premier photographers. Shepherd excelled as a master printer, overseeing commercial printing and distribution from Shimla.
Bourne’s photographs were exhibited extensively across Europe, including at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1867. The firm became a prominent provider of Indian landscape images for tourists and British audiences alike, thriving despite fierce competition.
In 1866, after Howard’s exit, the company was renamed 'Bourne & Shepherd'. Bourne briefly returned to England in 1867 but soon resumed leadership at the Calcutta branch. The studio established itself as India’s foremost photographic establishment, distributing its work widely through agents and wholesale dealers based in Britain. It enjoyed patronage from British colonial officials and Indian royalty; their photographers were indispensable at official functions and durbars.
By 1870, Bourne left commercial photography to explore ventures such as cotton-doubling in Nottingham and founding Britannia Cotton Mills. He sold his shares but left behind an archive of roughly 2,200 glass plate negatives that were reprinted for over a century until their destruction by fire at the Calcutta studio in 1991. Following his departure, Colin Murray led new photographic work (1870–1884), while Charles Shepherd continued producing images into the late 1870s with assistance from European photographers.
Around 1876, a Bombay branch opened under Shepherd’s management until his departure circa 1879; this branch operated until approximately 1902. In 1880, the firm briefly extended services to Lahore. Newspaper advertising played a crucial role in their success during this era. From 1870 to 1911, photographers were dispatched to locations including Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Burma, Nepal, and Singapore. The company also diversified into art publishing with works such as 'Photographs of Architecture of Gujarat and Rajputana' (1904–05) and employed Indian photographers alongside Europeans.
In 1911, Bourne & Shepherd acted as official photographers for the Delhi Durbar celebrating King George V and Queen Mary’s coronation as Emperor and Empress of India. They received the honorific title 'Kaiser-e-Hind', which remained part of their official identity. During both World Wars, the studio secured contracts photographing personnel from Indian, British, and American forces.
Throughout subsequent decades, ownership changed hands multiple times; Arthur Musselwhite became the last European proprietor during the 1930s. Post-Indian independence brought economic transformations—including the decline of princely states and departure of Europeans—that contributed to a decline for the studio. Musselwhite auctioned it off in 1955; since then it has been under current ownership. The building is now considered a heritage landmark.
Reception
At a 2009 auction held by Bonhams in London, a collection of sixteen photographs and portraits captured in British Burma from 1860 to 1900 by photographers associated with Bourne and Shepherd, J. Jackson, and Lawton—presented as albumen and gelatin silver prints—fetched a total of US$540. The selection featured images such as a portrait of a Burmese gentleman, young women arranging their hair, and depictions of public punishment along the Irrawaddy River.
Works
- Album of early photographs of India, created by Charles Shepherd, Samuel Bourne, and James Robertson. Published anonymously.
- An Album of Photographs of Indian Architecture, Views and People, produced by Robertson & Shepherd S. Bourne. Published anonymously.
- Photographic Views in India, issued by Bourne & Shepherd. Published circa 1866.
- Photographic Views of Jumnootri, Mussoorie, Hurdwar, Roorkee, Nynee Tal and Bheem Tal, by Bourne & Shepherd. Released by Bourne & Shepherd in 1867.
- A Permanent Record of India: Pictures of Viceroys, Moghul Emperors, Delhi Durbars, Temples, Mosques, Architecture, Types, Industries, Himalayan Scenes, Views from Khybar Pass to Andaman Islands : from 1840 to Present Day, compiled by Bourne & Shepherd. Published by Bourne & Shepherd.
- India and Burma, published by Bourne & Shepherd around 1870.
- Photographic Views in India, produced by Bourne and Shepherd with offices in Simla, Calcutta & Bombay. Published by Bourne & Shepherd.
- Photographic Views in India, from Bourne & Shepherd in Calcutta and Simla. Published by Thomas S. Smith, City Press, 1878.
- Photographic Views in India, issued by Bourne & Shepherd through Howard Ricketts Limited.
Further reading
- Arthur Ollmann's Samuel Bourne: Images of India, an essential reference on the photographer's work. .
- The Imperial Gaze. The Photographs of Samuel Bourne (1863–1870), a concise 28-page exhibition catalogue featuring images, essays, and bibliography from The Alkazi Collection of Photography and Sepia (2004).
- Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Library holds Photographs of India. circa 1862 – circa 1872, catalogued as Y3022C-E.
- John Falconer (2001), India: pioneering photographers 1850–1900, published in London by The British Library. Online
- Robin Lenman (ed.), 2005, The Oxford Companion to the Photograph (Oxford University Press) includes a brief biography covering Bourne & Shepherd.