Key Information

Photographer

Sir Charles Bell or Rabden Lepcha

Collection

Sir Charles Bell

Date of Photo

1920-1921

Named Person

Tsendron Kusho

Region

Lhasa

Accession number

1998.285.101.2

Image Dimensions

81 x 81 mm

The Dalai Lama's aide-de-camp, Tsendron Kusho, on horse being led by attendant. When riding the Tsendron wears a gold hat, but not when walking. The attendant is wearing a winter hat and the group are standing in a courtyard outside a house. The architectural joists of the house can be seen above the doorway and the door has been painted with an upturned crescent shape supporting a circle

Further Information

Activity

Riding

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

Previous Catologue Number

L.54

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

BL.H.90a/BL.H.88

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - '12' has been written in blue ink. This slide seems to have been used (as slide 12?) in the lecture 'A Year in Lhasa', which was first presented at the Royal Geographical Society on 3rd December 1923. The text, with a lesser number of images, was later published in The Geographical Journal of February 1924. This slide seems also to have been used by Bell in a lantern lecture titled 'The Dalai Lama' .[MS 9/9/2004]

Technical Information - This lantern slide has been made by projecting the negative image of 1998.285.101 through an enlarger. [MS 20/8/2004]

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Bell's List of Illustrations entry for H.90: "[No. of chapter] VII. [Subject of Chapter] The Regent and Central Government. [Subject of illustration] H.90 (h) Dalai Lama's A.D.C. [aide-de-camp] riding. When riding wears his hat, but not when walking."

Other Information - Related Images

Other Information - Related Images: Bell does not distinguish between 1998.285.101 and 1998.285.102 in his List of Illustrations, both being referenced by the caption for H.90. In 1998.285.101, the faces of the Tsendron and the attendant are more shaded. In 1998.285.102, the figures have been slightly repositioned, bringing the face of the Tsendron more into the light, and Bell has added a red mask to both figures to further enhance them. Although the original negative is listed as H.90 in Bell's List, the lantern slide is referenced against H.88, which is a portrait of Tsendron Kusho. That they are the same person is distinguishable from the Tsendron's distinctive protruding front tooth. The same boy can also be seen holding the horse in 1998.285.101/101.1 & .102 who is holding the official hat in 1998.285.99 [MS 18/5/2004]

Other Information - People

Other Information - People: Tsendron Kusho was one of the secretaries of the 13th Dalai Lama appointed to attend on Sir Charles Bell's mission during their stay in Lhasa. Bell spent a great deal of time with the Tsendron whilst he was in Lhasa, including visiting Ganden Monastery with him in April 1921. Bell and the Tsendron would typically ride on horseback when making their excursions in and around Lhasa. Bell repeatedly cites the Tsendron in his Diary as a source of information and summarises conversations that later fed into his publications [MS 02/02/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "The Tsendron Kusho on horseback" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.285.101.2.html>.

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The Tsendron Kusho on horseback