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Avenue of the Banian Trees, Seringham, India
Captain Linnaeus Tripe (British, 1822–1902)
publisher Madras Presidency
1858
- Medium
- salted paper print, albumenized, from calotype negative
- Classification
- Photograph
- Dimensions
- Image: 24.6 x 37 cm (9 11/16 x 14 9/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 61 cm (20 x 24 in.)
- Culture
- England, 19th century
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Photography
- Credit line
- The Jane B. Tripp Charitable Lead Annuity Trust
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Kids profiles and older: it shows nature, places, still life or a children's book. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
A rare, beautiful example of Linnaeus Tripe concentrating simply on the landscape, this carefully composed image depicts a picturesque avenue of banyan trees, dense with foliage. Nearly 1,000 miles of road in the Salem District of India were lined by these trees, providing travelers with shade and shelter from the country's intense climate. The inherent characteristics of Tripe's paper negative—with its broad effects of light and shade and lack of crisp details—magnifies the impressionistic appearance of a scene filled with filtered sunlight. The abstract patterns of light and shadow lead the viewer's eyes down the centrally positioned road and through the compelling composition.
