Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00012961Avenue of the Banian Trees, Seringham, India
About the Artwork
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.
Inscriptions
Written in pencil on recto: "J* / 15 x x C9"
Provenance
(Harry Lunn, Ltd., New York, NY) May 24, 1994: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Travel Photography: Early Images of India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 2-July 17, 2002).
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Captain Linnaeus Tripe (British, 1822–1902)
- Date
- 1858
- Medium
- salted paper print, albumenized, from calotype negative
- 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.)
- Type
- Photograph
- Classification
- Photograph
- Department
- Photography
- Credit line
- The Jane B. Tripp Charitable Lead Annuity Trust
- Accession no.
- 1994.18
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West and South Sides of the Vimana Walls, Great Temple (Brihadeshvara) at Tanjore (Thanjavur)
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Open-access museum record · AT-00012961
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