An ongoing art exhibition in Delhi is offering a rare glimpse into some of the earliest high-altitude photographs of the Himalayas, taken over a century ago.
The exhibition, 'Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya', curated by British explorer and author Hugh Thomson and organised by DAG, showcases the pioneering work of Italian photographer Vittorio Sella. The exhibition features one of the largest collections of Mr Sella's views of India, including rare photographs of Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, and K2, the second-highest.
"Throughout his career, Sella made use of his skills in engineering and chemistry that the wool mills and his father had taught him," Mr Thomson told BBC.
Born in Biella, Italy, Vittorio Sella (1859-1943) was an early mountaineer and photographer. In his twenties, he mastered the collodion process, which allowed him to develop large-format glass plates under extreme conditions. His Himalayan journey began in 1899 when he joined British explorer Douglas Freshfield on an expedition around Kanchenjunga. Despite heavy rain preventing climbing efforts, he captured striking images of the snow-covered peaks.
In 1909, he joined the Duke of the Abruzzi's expedition to K2. Carrying a 30kg camera system, Mr Sella crossed dangerous landscapes to take photographs that later became defining works in mountain photography. Jim Curran, author of K2: The Story of the Savage Mountain, described him as "possibly the greatest mountain photographer... his name [is] synonymous with technical perfection and aesthetic refinement."
"Sella was one of the first to recognise how tracks in the snow are as much part of the composition as the mountaineers who made them," Mr Thomson said.
Vittorio Sella's equipment included a Dallmeyer camera, tripod, and glass plates, weighing over 30kg. His clothing alone weighed 10kg. On the K2 expedition, he captured around 250 formal photographs over four to five months; on Kanchenjunga, about 200. "By modern digital standards, this number is nothing extraordinary... but when Sella was photographing, this was a considerable number," Mr Thomson said.
American photographer Ansel Adams later wrote that the "purity of Sella's interpretations moves the spectator to a religious awe." Despite the risks of high-altitude photography, including humidity-damaging negatives, his surviving work remains proof to his mastery.
The exhibition is on view at Bikaner House, New Delhi, until February 14. It is open daily from 11 am to 7 pm.
