{"id":13668,"date":"2016-06-30T15:39:03","date_gmt":"2016-06-30T15:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogbox.indianeagle.com\/?p=13668"},"modified":"2016-06-30T18:42:05","modified_gmt":"2016-06-30T18:42:05","slug":"history-of-worlds-oldest-photo-studio-bourne-and-shepherd-in-kolkata","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/travelbeats\/history-of-worlds-oldest-photo-studio-bourne-and-shepherd-in-kolkata\/","title":{"rendered":"Bourne & Shepherd: World\u2019s Oldest Operating Photo Studio in Kolkata Breathed its Last"},"content":{"rendered":"

This dilapidated building named \u2018Photographe\u2019 in the busiest neighborhood of Kolkata could have been converted into a world-class photography museum to preserve the footprints of India\u2019s journey from the colonial times to the post-independence era.<\/strong> But Fate had something else in store for the iconic landmark where many historic events across the country were documented through photography for 176 years.<\/p>\n

\"Bourne<\/a><\/p>\n

The \u2018Photographe\u2019 building had been known as the world\u2019s oldest and longest running photo studio \u2018Bourne & Shepherd\u2019 until it pulled down its shutters on June 16 this year<\/strong> because the current studio owner lost a 14-year-old legal battle to Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) which owns the building in Esplanade, a bustling commercial area in the city.<\/p>\n

\n

Surprisingly, with the closure of the world\u2019s oldest operating photo studio in Kolkata<\/a><\/span>, Bengal lost a potential tourist attraction whereas Delhi<\/a><\/span> is gearing up to set up the world\u2019s largest photography museum.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Established in 1840 by the then famous Calcutta photographer William Howard from Britain, the photo studio was known as Calcutta Studio, which was renamed Bourne & Shepherd in 1866<\/strong> when the British photographer and traveler duo \u2013 Samuel Bourne and Charles Shepherd \u2013 took control of the business after William Howard left India.<\/p>\n

\"Black<\/a>

A giant, vintage camera in the world’s oldest Bourne & Shepherd photo studio in Kolkata<\/p><\/div>\n

With a team of 30 in-house photographers including Samuel Borne and Charles Shepherd, the one and only iconic photo studio had a golden run till the mid-20th<\/sup> century. The Bourne & Shepherd photographers used to be on the run for prestigious assignments across British India. When the British Raj was at its peak, the Calcutta photo studio had four corresponding offices – one in Shimla<\/a><\/span>, one in Mumbai<\/a><\/span>, one in London and one in Paris – besides a number of affiliates all over the country.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Bourne<\/a>

A rare photograph of the Delhi Durbar in 1911 by a Bourne & Shepherd studio photographer<\/p><\/div>\n

Patronized by the royal Indian families, upper-class British officials and high-profile businessmen from Britain, the Calcutta photo studio used to get photography<\/a><\/span> assignments for the Delhi Durbar,<\/strong> the imperial court of the British in India, from 1877 till 1911 when King George V and Queen Mary were crowned as the Emperor and Empress of British India.<\/p>\n

\n

An integral part of \u2018Calcutta Chromosome\u2019, the photo studio Bourne & Shepherd had photographed the beauty and culture of the then undivided India from the Himalayas to the river banks of Varanasi<\/a><\/span> to royal weddings in the princely states to the Tagore family to major political events.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"Kolkata<\/a>

A Bourne & Shepherd photograph of a bathing ghat in the then Calcutta<\/p><\/div>\n

After having lost its countrywide thriving business following the exit of British officials and the end of the royal era by 1950, the studio continued operating mainly in Bengal<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Frequent visits by the then luminaries including Satyajit Ray and Sunil Ganguly from Calcutta\u2019s elite group helped the studio survive until a massive fire broke out in the building and destroyed 90% of the photography archive in 1991.<\/p>\n

\"Bourne<\/a>

A Bourne & Shepherd photograph of Dakshineshwar Temple in the then Calcutta<\/p><\/div>\n

In the following years, the Bourne & Shepherd studio lost its sheen to the glamour of digital photography.<\/strong> The historic establishment that witnessed Calcutta\u2019s journey from the British Raj to cosmopolitan Kolkata lost its monopoly of photography to modern technology which put a small digital camera in everyone\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

\n

With its shutters down today, the Bourne & Shepherd photo studio is a mere site of nostalgia in the wilderness for the current and next generations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Also Check<\/strong>\u00a01960s’ Black & White Calcutta<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Travel Beats is a digital magazine for Indian Diaspora by IndianEagle, a US-based leading organization booking travel to Kolkata<\/a> and other Indian cities. Travel Beats publishes interesting features and stories about India and USA.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This dilapidated building named \u2018Photographe\u2019 in the busiest neighborhood of Kolkata could have been converted into a world-class photography museum to preserve the footprints of India\u2019s journey from the colonial times to the post-independence era. But Fate had something else in store for the iconic landmark where many historic events across the country were documented […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[49,98,141],"yoast_head":"\nKolkata Failed to Save Heritage Bourne & Shepherd Photo Studio<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"IndianEagle takes a walk through the 176 years of the world's oldest photo studio Bourne & Shepherd in Kolkata, which pulled down its shutters recently.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/travelbeats\/history-of-worlds-oldest-photo-studio-bourne-and-shepherd-in-kolkata\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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