Latest news with #Sella
Mint
4 days ago
- Mint
From K2 to Kangchenjunga: How Vittorio Sella's pioneering work changed mountain photography forever
For many years, I had looked at books, magazines, websites and blogs, searching for photographs taken by Italian Vittorio Sella. Over the course of time, these photographs became like familiar friends—and often, on seeing a mountain image on Google, I knew it was a Sella. But nothing prepared me for the enormity of the moment when I visited the exhibition, titled Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya, which opened at Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata on 8 August. Delhi Art Gallery (DAG), in collaboration with Victoria Memorial, is showing for the first time in India a collection of 78 Sella prints from his expeditions around Kangchenjunga in 1899 and the Karakoram in 1909. To see the original Sella prints—some of the panoramas are over 10ft in length and meticulously stitched together—is truly a revelation. The stupendous details in the ridges, icefalls, glaciers and scree slopes in the images shot well over a hundred years ago is mindboggling to say the least. A pioneering mountain photographer of his generation, Sella set a benchmark in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In an era when photography was mainly confined to the realms of a studio in controlled conditions and the emphasis remained on documentation, Sella took the large-format studio equipment to the lofty heights of the Himalaya and the Karakoram, creating images that went far beyond mere documentation and are valued today for their aesthetic beauty and composition. Sella was born in the small town of Biella at the foot of the Italian Alps in 1859. The family was wealthy and his father owned a textile mill. He worked for some time in the family business before his passion for mountains and photography got the better of him. He was inspired by his uncle Quintino, who was a keen mountaineer and the founder of the Italian Alpine Club. Sella started climbing in the Alps. The story goes that one night in 1879, while attending an opera in Biella, Sella noticed a clear night sky. Dressed in his formal clothes, he rushed up the mountain to his small tent where a camera was mounted for such eventualities and took a brilliant panorama of Mont Mars. Sella started out by using the large plate 30x40cm Dallmeyer camera that he carried with him to the field. The camera itself weighed around 40 pounds and each glass negative around 2 pounds. Along with this there was a heavy tripod to support the equipment. Sella carried much of this equipment himself as he climbed up steep mountain heights. Later as technology evolved, he switched to the smaller Ross and Co. cameras around 1893 and finally towards the end of his career, he also used one of the first hand-held Kodak cameras. When Sella started out, it was the era of the wet collodion photo process—where the glass negatives had to be coated and developed on site, a daunting task. Later around 1880, the dry gelatine plate was introduced. It allowed photographers to leave their mobile darkrooms and work with higher exposure speeds and better sensitivity and process the plates back home. Many of Sella's later prints were the conventional silver gelatine ones. Sella was possibly one of the first photographers to include human figures in his mountain landscapes to provide a sense of scale, a technique which many modern photographers also follow today. Sella climbed extensively in the Alps from 1880-93. Some of his notable climbs were the first winter ascent of the Matterhorn in 1882, the first winter ascent of Mont Rosa in 1884, and the first winter traverse of Mount Blanc in 1888. He also looked further afield and made three expeditions to the Russian Caucasus in 1889, 1890 and 1896. On the first expedition, Sella and his team made an ascent of Mount Elbrus (5,642m), the highest peak in Europe. Sella photographed mountains in four continents—the Alps in Europe, Mount St Elias in North America in 1897, Ruwenzori in Africa in 1906, Kangchenjunga in Sikkim and Nepal in 1899 and K2 and the Karakoram in 1909, in Asia. It is pertinent to point out Sella's relationship with two towering personalities: the British lawyer and explorer Douglas Freshfield, who was president of the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club, and the Italian nobleman, Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi, who became Sella's patron. Knowing Sella's reputation as a mountain photographer, Freshfield invited Sella and his brother Erminio on a landmark expedition around Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, in 1899. In a letter to Sella, Freshfield wrote, 'Could I hope to get you to bring your equipment and experience…but I should like to see those great peaks and go around Kangchenjunga…I have thought so for 20 years…perhaps it has got too late!" The Kangchenjunga expedition encountered bad weather and extreme snowfall on many days. Sella was undaunted. He put his heavy tripod and 40-pound plate camera in the 3ft of snow on the Zemu glacier in North Sikkim and shot what was eventually recognised as one the finest photographs of Siniolchu (6,888m). Freshfield later described Siniolchu as 'the most superb triumph of mountain architecture and the most beautiful snow mountain in the world". The DAG exhibition has two prints of Siniolchu besides images of Kangchenjunga and other satellite peaks of the range. The expedition completed the circuit of the mountain crossing the high Jongsong La, around 6,045m, from Sikkim into Nepal in extremely difficult and snowy conditions. Sella's three major expeditions were with the Duke of the Abruzzi, who had a passion for mountains and the desire to climb the highest peaks in the world. The duke also wanted to document his expeditions and with this in mind, he invited Sella to accompany him to Alaska, Ruwenzori and finally to the Karakoram. In 1897, the duke along with Sella and his team summitted Mount Saint Elias in Alaska. In 1906, the duke asked Sella to accompany him to the Ruwenzori mountains in Uganda known as Mountains of the Moon. On the Uganda expedition along with the ascent of Mt Stanley, the fourth highest peak in Africa, Sella photographed the exotic vegetation, rainforests as well as the indigenous people of the region. Sella's last major expedition was to the Karakoram in 1909, at age 50, where he produced some of his finest work, including K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums, Muztagh Tower and Chogolisa, all of which can be seen at the exhibition. There are some magnificent panoramas of the range from the Baltoro glacier. The climb of Chogolisa set a new altitude record of 7,498m, which remained unbroken until the British expedition to the Everest in 1922. Unfortunately, the duke was forced to turn around just 150m below the summit due to bad weather. Interestingly, Chogolisa remained unclimbed for 66 years until an Austrian expedition summitted the peak in 1975. Sella's photograph of the duke and his guides climbing the Chogolisa icefall with enormous seracs about to topple over their heads remains one of the classics of mountain photography. Sella returned to Biella in 1909 after the expedition and focused his energies on selling his prints and photographs. A large collection of his work was bought by the National Geographic Society in 1912. He was also made an honorary member of the American Alpine Club in 1938. Sella continued to climb in the Italian Alps, the Grand Paradiso ranges and in 1935, at the age of 76, he made one last attempt to climb the Matterhorn but was unsuccessful. Sella died in Biella in 1943 at the age of 84. In his memory, the Italian Alpine Club set up Rifugio Vittorio Sella, an alpine hut, in the Grand Paradiso National Park. One of the peaks in the Ruwenzori range of Africa on Mount Luigi di Savoia was also named Sella peak in his honour. In November 2019, I trekked to the Pangpema base camp of Kangchenjunga at 5,130m in Nepal, where Sella had climbed up to a grassy shelf and shot his magnificent panorama of Kangchenjunga and the glacier. In Sella's footsteps, I struggled up a steep slope trying to reach the viewpoint. The Nepal earthquake of 2015 had reduced the hillside to a jumble of rock and scree and the going was hard. As I looked out over the glacier and the base camp below to the lofty heights of Kangchenjunga on that clear autumn morning, what was most startling was the absence of snow on the glacier. In around 120 years, the snow covered glacier below Kangchenjunga had been reduced to a wasteland of rock and rubble. In these turbulent times of extreme weather patterns, glacial lake outbursts and climate change, Sella's photographs stand as testimony as to what the great glaciers and mountains of the Himalaya and Karakoram looked like many years ago. The legendary American landscape photographer Ansel Adams was a great admirer of Sella's work. In an article in the Sierra Club Bulletin in 1946, Adams says, '…we are amazed by the mood of calmness and perfection pervading all of Sella's photographs. In Sella's photographs there is no faked grandeur; rather there is understatement, caution, and truthful purpose…Sella has brought to us not only the facts and forms of far-off splendours of the world, but the essence of experience which finds a spiritual response in the inner recesses of our mind and heart." At Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata till 7 September, 10am-6pm. Closed on Mondays and public holidays. Sujoy Das is a Kolkata-based trekker, mountain photographer and co-author of Everest, Reflections on the Solukhumbu.
Time of India
08-08-2025
- Time of India
VMH displays earliest photos of Himalayas for the 1st time in India
1 2 Kolkata: The beauty of the Himalayas, captured in lens at the turn of the 20th century before rampant "development" scarred the foothills and triggered tragedies like the flash flood at Uttarkashi on Tuesday, is on display at the Victoria Memorial Hall. These earliest high-altitude photographs of Kangchenjunga and K2 have never been displayed in India before. The collection of photographs of the Sikkim Himalaya and the Karakoram ranges were clicked by Italian Vittorio Sella, a pioneer of mountain photography. Recorded over a hundred years ago and significant both historically and artistically, the images continue to evoke a sense of wonder that Sella himself must have felt. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The exhibition 'Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya' is possibly the largest collection of Sella's Indian views outside the Vittorio Sella Foundation. It is presented by DAG and curated by distinguished British explorer and author Hugh Thomson. DAG chief executive officer and managing director Ashish Anand said, "Last year, in Histories in the Making, we looked at how early photography was used as a medium for documenting India's ancient monuments between 1855 and 1920. We now move from India's built to its natural heritage. Sella (1859-1943) was a pioneer both as a photographer and as a mountaineer. Combining the two accomplishments, he brought mountain photography into the modern era. He travelled and climbed in many parts of the world, including India, where he clicked some of the most iconic images of the Himalaya." The exhibition at the VMH Durbar Hall will be underway for a month. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
08-08-2025
- Time of India
Earliest photographs of Himalayas on display for the first time in India at Victoria Memorial Hall
KOLKATA: The beauty of the Himalayas, captured in lens at the turn of the 20th century before rampant "development" scarred the foothills and triggered tragedies like the flash flood at Uttarkashi on Tuesday, is on display at the Victoria Memorial Hall. These earliest high-altitude photographs of Kangchenjunga and K2 have never been displayed in India before. The collection of photographs of landscapes and panoramic views of the Sikkim Himalaya and the Karakoram ranges were clicked by Italian Vittorio Sella, a pioneer of mountain photography. Recorded over a hundred years ago and significant both historically and artistically, the images continue to evoke a sense of wonder that Sella himself must have felt as he gazed upon these majestic peaks. The exhibition 'Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya' is possibly the largest collection of Sella's Indian views outside the Vittorio Sella Foundation. It is presented by DAG and curated by distinguished British explorer and author Hugh Thomson. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata DAG Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Ashish Anand said, "Last year, in Histories in the Making, we looked at how early photography was used as a medium for documenting India's ancient monuments between 1855 and 1920. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Premium 1 BHK at Mahindra Citadel – Coming Soon! Mahindra Citadel Enquire Now Undo We now move from India's built to its natural heritage. Vittorio Sella (1859-1943) was a pioneer both as a photographer and as a mountaineer. Combining the two accomplishments, he brought mountain photography into the modern era. He travelled and climbed in many parts of the world, including India, where he made some of the most iconic images of the Himalaya." "The pioneering early photos of the Himalaya by the Italian master photographer Vittorio Sella have become famous and influential throughout the rest of the world but have never, until now, been exhibited in India. This ground-breaking show from DAG will display his extraordinary images from the early 20th century as he travelled up into remote areas of the Karakorum and Kangchenjunga to take huge plate glass negatives and celebrate the glory of the high mountains," said Thomson. The exhibition at the VMH Durbar Hall will be underway for a month. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time Magazine
13-06-2025
- Health
- Time Magazine
Dr. Shelley Sella
Sella is an OB-GYN and the first woman to openly practice third-trimester abortion care in the US, which she did for 20 years. She is the author Beyond Limits: Stories of Third-Trimester Abortion Care
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The Truth About Third-Trimester Abortion Care
Sella is the author of 'Beyond Limits: Stories of Third-Trimester Abortion Care,' of which this essay is adapted. Credit - Courtesy of Beacon Press In recent weeks, lawmakers in several states have introduced legislation to further restrict or criminalize abortion later in pregnancy. Some claim these measures are about protecting life. But I know the reality. For 20 years, I was the first woman doctor in the United States to openly provide abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy. My patients' stories—of trauma, desperation, and resilience—tell a very different story from the political rhetoric, which often demonizes the procedure, vilifies doctors, and shames those who seek care. Though this procedure makes up a relatively small segment of abortion care (by some estimates, around 1%), it is the key to understanding all abortion care. When we listen to those in the most desperate circumstances, we begin to understand everyone who seeks an abortion—and the urgent need for safe, legal, and accessible care in every trimester. I began this work in Wichita, Kan. under the mentorship of the late Dr. George Tiller. After his assassination in 2009 by an anti-abortion extremist, I continued the work in Albuquerque, New Mexico until I stepped away from clinical practice in 2021. In those years, I cared for patients who had nowhere else to turn. They needed care, often after exhausting every other option. Some received a devastating diagnosis late in pregnancy—a condition that meant their baby would not survive long after birth or would endure profound suffering. Some were lethal, like Potter's syndrome, where the baby's kidneys never develop. Others, like lissencephaly, a severe brain condition, were non-lethal, but were marked by a short life of intractable seizures. But patients whose babies have fetal indications are not the only patients who seek third-trimester abortions. I have also cared for victims of domestic violence who were trapped in their homes and couldn't escape to seek an abortion until their abuser was jailed. I've cared for patients who were raped and were so traumatized that they could not confront the possibility of pregnancy. I have performed abortions when birth control, even the most effective kinds, failed. Because they were on birth control, they could not believe that their bodily changes were pregnancy-related until they finally discovered that they were pregnant and in the third trimester. I have assisted mothers who were initially planning to continue the pregnancy but lost their jobs and could barely afford to care for the children they already had. I have also cared for many teenagers and even younger girls who were too afraid to tell anyone that they were pregnant and who hid behind baggy clothes until they could no longer keep their pregnancy a secret. And in recent years, I saw more and more patients who did seek abortions earlier in pregnancy, but the barriers of different state regulations prevented them from obtaining one until they managed to make their way to my door. These barriers included gestational limits, waiting periods, cost, transportation, and increased demand due to clinics around the country being forced to close. What these barriers failed to do, however, was to dissuade women from ending their pregnancy. These obstacles didn't stop people from seeking abortions—they only delayed care and deepened hardship. And the consequences of those delays were not theoretical. The landmark Turnaway study found that people denied abortions face increased rates of poverty, physical complications, and long-term health issues. Read More: What Trump Has Done on Reproductive Health Care In His First 100 Days My patients didn't need a study to tell them that. They lived it. One told me that continuing her pregnancy would have been a death sentence and that an abortion would be lifesaving. Many of them initially held strong anti-abortion views while simultaneously believing that having an abortion was essential to prevent suffering for themselves and their families. Many also expressed deep concern for their future child. If they were to give birth, they all wanted their child to live a good life, with adequate food, shelter, and opportunities. They knew, to their deepest core, that the circumstances of their particular pregnancy would make that impossible. We are told to be 'reasonable' about abortion and accept limits—15 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 But the truth is, they do not reflect the unpredictable realities of pregnancy, or the complexity of human lives. Every time we accept a limit, we inch closer to a world where no abortion is safe, legal, or accessible. It creates the slippery slope to the total bans we are seeing in increasing numbers of states—when, in fact, we must wholeheartedly support the growing number of abortion seekers who are driven to seek a third-trimester abortion. They are as deserving as anyone else of compassionate and competent care. A father once told me that, in light of his baby's condition, he considered it immoral to continue the pregnancy. A young rape victim's mother once said to me, 'You don't know the story until you are the story.' When these stories are truly heard, judgment fades. Understanding and compassion take their place. Adapted from Beyond Limits: Stories of Third-Trimester Abortion Care by Shelley Sella, MD. (Beacon Press, 2025). Reprinted with permission from Beacon Press. Contact us at letters@
