Picnic party Lhasa

Picnic party Lhasa

1998.285.664 (Lantern Slide)

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Key Information

Photographer

Lt Col R. S. Kennedy? Willoughby Patrick Rosemeyer?

Collection

Sir Charles Bell

Date of Photo

May - September 1921 or 1922?

Region

Lhasa

Accession number

1998.285.664

Image Dimensions

81 x 81 mm

Picnic party in Lhasa. Group of children in a park

Further Information

Photographic Process

Lantern Slide

Date Acquired

Donated 1983

Donated by

St Antony's College, Oxford.

Expedition

Sir Charles Bell's Mission to Lhasa 1920-21

Photo also owned by

Royal Central Asiatic Society

Revised Photographer

Lt Col R. S. Kennedy?

Previous Catologue Number

L.141

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

BL.P.267

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Bell's List of Illustrations entry: "[No. of chapter] XXVII. [Subject of Chapter] Amusements. [Subject of Illustration] P.267 (audu) Picnic party in one of the lingkas near Lhasa. Grown-ups and children. [Remarks] L.140"

Other Information - Cultural Background


Other Information - Cultural Background: Bell's Diary for 5th May 1921 reports the following information as told to Bell by Kusho Palhese:"The people of Lhasa repair to the ling-kas for picnics mainly between the 3rd and 7th months (say) from May to August inclusive. riding today through some of the ling-kas I came across fourteen or fifteen of these picnic parties. The Chinese and the Ladakhis usually had a white tent roof, gaily ornamented with the usual blue designs, over their parties, while the Tibetans sat under trees with only a cloth some five feet high stretched along one side to keep off the wind." [Vol. X., p.51]

Other Information - Cultural Background


Other Information - Cultural Background: On 25th May 1921 Bell discussed popular forms of Tibetan entertainment with Kusho Palhese and this prompted the following Diary entry in relation to picnic parties:"Apart from these games [ horse racing, archery, putting the weight, long-jumping ] picnicking is a very favourite way of spending the day in summer. Between May and September the lingkas are full of picnic parties. Whether government owned or private owned any may come and bring their lunch and tea and spend the day there. Those who are more particular pitch a tent or the roof of a tent, white with blue designs after the Tibetan fashion. Others just sit down under the poplars or willows, and hang a cloth on one side to keep off the breeze. Sho and Ba (Chinese dominoes) will be played, singing and perhaps dancing especially towards evening, and the stories of older days will be recounted by those who know them. Beer and tea there will be in plenty, and food mostly after the Chinese style." [Diary Vol. X., p.82]

Other Information - Photographer: As this photograph was made using a Postcard-sized glass plate it may possibly have been taken either by R. S. Kennedy in 1921, or by W. P. Rosemeyer in 1922 and forwarded to Bell later [MS 15/9/2004]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Picnic party Lhasa" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.285.664.html>.

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