'The Artist McCosh', 1850 (c)

Photograph, India, 1850 (c).

John McCosh (1805-1885) was a pioneer of both war photography and photography in south-east Asia. During his service as a Surgeon with the Bengal Army in the 2nd Sikh War (1848-1849) and 2nd Burma War (1852-1853), he succeeded in taking a remarkable series of calotype photographs which are amongst the earliest military photographs in existence. Limited at first to portraiture, his work illustrates his wide-ranging interest and artistic eye, with subjects including British military personnel and their families as well as local peoples. As his skill improved he was able to include larger landscape and architectural photographs and while in Burma (Myanmar) he took pictures of many of the splendid buildings in Prome (Pyay) and Rangoon (Yangon).

From an album of 310 photographs, 1848-1853.