Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Date of Photo

August 12th 1936

Region

Gyantse > Bridge

Accession number

1998.131.206

Image Dimensions

120 x 175 mm

A bridge at Gyantse taken in the evening. Four cows, a man and a woman have just crossed the bridge. A leafless tree can be seen in the centre left of the image and low mountains are visible in the background. The stonework of the bridge can be seen clearly. A single storey building is visible in the background on the left

Further Information

Photographic Process

Print gelatin silver , Retouched

Date Acquired

Donated 1994

Donated by

Faith Spencer Chapman

Expedition

British Diplomatic Mission to Lhasa 1936-37

Photo also owned by

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Previous Catologue Number

CI.34 [view film roll]

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

SC.T.2.206

Published

'Lhasa the Holy City', F. Spencer Chapman, London: Chatto and Windus, 1940 [view list of illustrations]

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - The back of the print is covered with cropping and proof marks. '7a' is written in pencil in the top left hand corner The instruction is not to crop the image but to reduce it to 5 5/8". There is also some re-touching in the top left hand corner of the image, where two lines have been touched out to the left of the tree. The reference 'C-1-34' has been written on the back of the print in pencil. This seems to relate to the numbering system Chapman adopted for images taken on the British Mission to Lhasa in 1936-37 [MS 19/1/2005]

Technical Information - The touching-out marks appear to be consistent with lines from the trees that could have been ropes from which prayer flags would have been suspended [TS 20/1/2005]

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Caption in Chapman's hand-written list of negatives made whilst on the Mission to Lhasa, 1936-7 [See PRM Manuscripts Collection]: 'Gyantse bridge. Evening shadows on hills'; PRM Manuscripts Collection: ‘List of Tibetan Prints and Negatives’ - Book 1, From Gangtok to the Natu La August 1936: ‘15/3 - Cows coming in to Gyantse over cantilever bridge’ [MS 13/03/2006]

Other Information - Related Images

Other Information - Related Images: Images prefixed with CI.34 seem to have been taken on the route to Gyantse and just at the point of arrival on August 12th 1936 and comprise a group of negatives containing images of Kala, Samada, Khangma [Kangma], Saugong, Gyantse, and Gyantse bridge. A hand-written note at the end of the list states ’Prints 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 in album’, referring to the draft album of photographs from which official photographic selections from the mission were made. This image has also been grouped by Chapman with others under the heading 'Journey up and Scenery' in his handlist. [MS 13/03/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Bridge at Gyantse" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.131.206.html>.

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