India, circa 1885
Attributed to Johnston & Hofmann

The natural humidity in the heights of the Himalayan foothills allows these impressive ferns to flourish on the mountainsides leading to Darjeeling, the tea capital of Bengal. Attributed to the British partnership of Johnston & Hofmann, who became well-known in Great Britian for documenting the architectural and natural wonders of India, this photograph wonderfully contrasts the towering ferns in the first plan with the mist descending on the tea terraces in the second.