John Burke
John Burke (c. He was born in Ireland, around 1843, where he was a tradesman. He applied for a job in the British Army as an official photographer but travelled to Afghanistan at his own expense using heavy cameras that would have needed transporting on pack animals through mountainous regions.
Also recorded as J. Burke · Baker & Burke
John Burke
John Burke · The Cleveland Museum of Art · Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Whitehill Art Purchase Endowment Fund · CC0
- Name
- John Burke
- Died
- 1900
- Occupation
- Photographer
- Born
- 1843 · Ireland.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
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John Burke (c. He was born in Ireland, around 1843, where he was a tradesman. He applied for a job in the British Army as an official photographer but travelled to Afghanistan at his own expense using heavy cameras that would have needed transporting on pack animals through mountainous regions.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Burke was the first significant photographer of Afghanistan. He died in 1900. Burke's photographs have been grouped in albums with those of Benjamin Simpson and other photographers, so definitive attribution is not possible for some of his works.
Places of work recorded in the authority are Punjab, Kashmir and Kingdom of Afghanistan. Work by John Burke is recorded in the collections of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and J. Paul Getty Museum.
Dakka Fort and Lalpura, 1878–80, by John Burke
John Burke · The Cleveland Museum of Art · Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Whitehill Art Purchase Endowment Fund
Group of Afredees, 1878–80, by John Burke
John Burke · The Cleveland Museum of Art · Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Whitehill Art Purchase Endowment Fund
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — John Burke • Died — 1900 • Occupation — Photographer • Illustration — Pierre Louis Napoleon Cavagnari with the Sirdars by John Burke, late 1870s • Illustration — Warburton with Nauroz Khan of Lalpura Mohmands • Illustration — Shir Ali Khan in 1869
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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