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IMPERIAL VISTA: SACHE & WESTFIELD’S PANORAMIC ALBUM OF CALCUTTA, C.1865–70 - A Rare Continuous Albumen Print View from the Ochterlony Monument, with Original Title Label

This rare and complete panoramic photographic album (approximately 27 x 37 cm) consists of seven mounted albumen prints, each measuring about 10 x 12 inches (approximately 25.5 x 30.5 cm), which are sequentially mounted on the recto to create a continuous... IMPERIAL VISTA: SACHE & WESTFIELD’S PANORAMIC ALBUM OF CALCUTTA, C.1865–70 - A Rare Continuous Albumen Print View from the Ochterlony Monument, with Original Title Label

This rare and complete panoramic photographic album (approximately 27 x 37 cm) consists of seven mounted albumen prints, each measuring about 10 x 12 inches (approximately 25.5 x 30.5 cm), which are sequentially mounted on the recto to create a continuous panoramic view of approximately 7 feet (2.13 meters) depicting 19th-century Calcutta; it folds concertina-style within the original publisher’s morocco-backed cloth boards, which are titled in gilt on the upper cover: "Panorama of Calcutta by Sache & Westfield, Photographers." The front board has the original printed green title label and caption list, and the entire folded photograph is housed in the original gilt-ruled purple pebble-grained boards.

Each photograph is titled and numbered 1–7 in ink in the lower margin in the negative, forming a sweeping panoramic vista of Calcutta as seen from the Ochterlony Monument (now Shahid Minar), capturing significant civic architecture, thoroughfares, open maidans, tents, and iconic buildings of the colonial capital, including

1. Fort William with the Hooghly River in the distance
2. Lord Hardinge’s Statue, High Court, and Eden Gardens
3. Government House, Dome of the Post Office, and Circus tents
4. Esplanade Row, Medical College in the distance
5. Chowringhee Road and its theatres
6. Free School Church, St. James’ Church
7. Monohur Das Tank and St. Paul’s Cathedral

This sweeping visual document of late 19th-century Calcutta is among the rarest photographic panoramas produced in colonial India. Published by the renowned firm Sache & Westfield, whose studio was located near Esplanade in Calcutta, this work captures the grandeur of the imperial capital as seen from the elevated Ochterlony Monument (now the Shaheed Minar), overlooking the Maidan.

The panorama extends from north to south, offering a 360° aerial view of Calcutta's most prominent colonial landmarks. The viewer can trace the outlines of the Eden Gardens, Fort William, the Government House, the High Court, and the bustling Chowringhee Road, as well as military encampments, cricket grounds, and civic buildings. The clarity and breadth of this panorama offer a rare urban cartographic impression, merging photographic precision with imperial spectacle.

The firm A & A Westfield was one of several local successors to earlier studios such as Bourne & Shepherd, capturing Calcutta’s transformation as the colonial metropolis. The green printed title leaf, with its specific pricing in rupees, reflects the Indian commercial market for such elite presentation works—used as souvenirs by British officers, administrators, or Indian elites.

Panoramas such as this played an essential role in shaping colonial visual culture. In the East, people displayed, collected, and frequently shipped these panoramas home as relics of their service or travel. Mounted in a continuous format, the photographic panorama represented a technological advancement from earlier lithographic views, offering increased realism and documentary accuracy.

The Ochterlony Monument, erected in 1828 to commemorate British victory in the Anglo-Nepalese War, became a strategic vantage point for artists and photographers alike. By the late 19th century, Calcutta was the nerve centre of the Raj, and such panoramas served as visual affirmations of colonial order, urban planning, and imperial might.

Sache formed his partnership with Westfield in Calcutta in 1865. This photographic panorama is near-identical to one taken by Samuel Bourne in 1865, the livestock and figures in the foreground being the only obvious differences.

Publishers have published Sache's work in collections like Views of India, 1865–1869, and India (30 Works),1860–1869 . His photographs are held in the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru; and the Alkazi Collection of Photography.

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