Sir Benjamin Simpson KCIE (31 March 1831 – 27 June 1923) was a British Surgeon-General and photographer who served in the Indian Medical Service Bengal from 1853 until 1890 His late 19th century photos of Kandahar, Quetta, Bombay, Tomb of Amhed Shah, Baba Wali Kotal, Idgah Gate, Durani, Chilzina, Tukatoo, and Kirka Sharif have been collected in albums. Because the photos were grouped with those of John Burke (photographer) and those of others, many cannot be attributed. Simpson was a member of the Bengal Photographic Society and produced 80 photographs grouped as ''Racial Types of Northern India'' he exhibited at the

London International Exhibition The International Exhibition of 1862, or Great London Exposition, was a world's fair. It was held from 1 May to 1 November 1862, beside the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, London, England, on a site that now houses ...

in 1862, earning a gold medal. He also visited Assam in 1867 and 1868 producing illustrations for ''Descriptive ethnology of Bengal'' published in 1872. His photographs were also used in the eight volume series ''The People of India'' published 1868–1875. Simpson also photographed scenes during the Second Afghan War of 1879–1880 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. They were published by Bourne & Shepherd.Benjamin Simpson
Luminous Lint On 15 February 1887 he was in the first group of people appointed Knights Commander of the

Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No app ...

(KCIE).

Gallery

File:Chilzina Mountain at Kandahar in 1881.jpg,

Chilzina Chil Zena ("Forty steps"), also Chilzina or Chehel Zina, is a mountainous outcrop at the western limit of the city of Kandahar. Forty stone steps lead to the top of the outcrop, hence its name. It gives a commanding view on the city of Kandahar. ...

Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ...

circa 1881 File:Courtyard of Wali Sher Ali in 1881.jpg, Courtyard of

Wali Sher Ali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

in 1881 File:Ruins of old Kandahar Citadel in 1881.jpg, Ruins of the old Kandahar Citadel, 1881 File:Afghanistan, 1879-80 WDL11534.pdf, ''Afghanistan'' album with photographs from Simpson, John Burke and others

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Benjamin 1831 births 1923 deaths 19th-century British photographers British surgeons Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire