Group of Bhooteas, Darjeeling, from 'Views of Darjeeling', 1860-80 (b/w photo)

Full-length group portrait of two Bhotia couples at Darjeeling in West Bengal, taken by Samuel Bourne in the 1860s. Bhot (or Bod) is the Nepalese word for Tibet and the term Bhotia covers a number of ethnic groups including the Sherpas. The Bhotias' original home was the Tibetan Plateau but they now also inhabit Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim and the mountainous regions of India, including the hill stations as in this photograph. They are a hardworking people whose religion is either Buddhist or Shamanist. They are born mountaineers and work as mountain guides as well as keeping herds of grazing animals on the slopes. Samuel Bourne was well-known for his many picturesque views of India and undertook three extensive expeditions to Kashmir and the Himalayas between 1863 and 1866.