[The Countess Canning, Simla]
![[The Countess Canning, Simla] by Jean Baptiste Oscar Mallitte](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/ph/thumb/the-countess-canning-simla-287607.webp)
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Mount: 33 x 26.1 cm (13 x 10 1/4 in.) Image: 20.7 x 14.1 cm (8 1/8 x 5 9/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Purchase, Cynthia Hazen Polsky Gift, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.491.1 (8)
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1861, French photographer Jean Baptiste Oscaritte captured *The Countess Canning, Simla*, a poised portrait of Charlotte Canning, wife of Charles John Canning, the first Viceroy of India. Taken in Simla (now Shimla), the scenic summer retreat of British colonial officials amid the Himalayan foothills, this image reflects the height of the British Raj. The Countess, known for her artistic talents and social influence, embodies the refined expatriate life during a transformative era following the 1857 Indian Rebellion. Printed as an albumen silver print—a pioneering 19th-century process usin...