Unseen Burma

When the British colonised Burma, they brought with them the latest technology in cameras and photographic reproduction, and since these were introduced to Burma as early as the middle of the 19th century, the country is richly catalogued and photographed. The new technology was first popularised by western practitioners (Germans, Italians, and, of course, the British) and upper-class patrons, but then spread to the mass market. Thai scholar Thweep Rittinaphakorn (Ake) has written and lectured widely on Burmese culture, whilst collecting and/or inspiring groups of photographs. Unseen Burma takes readers on a stunning visual journey from the beginning of Burma, its colonial era, through to the hopeful first years of independence.