Tibetan woman with goitre
2001.35.284.1 (Print Black & White)
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Key Information
Photographer
Frederick Spencer Chapman
Collection
Evan Yorke Nepean
Date of Photo
September 3rd 1936
Region
Lhasa Area
Accession number
2001.35.284.1
Image Dimensions
72 x 105 mm
Further Information
Photographic Process
Print silver
Date Acquired
Loaned August 2002
Donated by
Judy Goldthorp
Expedition
British Diplomatic Mission to Lhasa 1936-37
Photo also owned by
Lady Nepean
Previous Catologue Number
CS.19 In publication
'Lhasa Mission 1936, Diary of Events', P. Neame, H. Richardson, F. S. Chapman, Government of India Political Department [Note: photographs for October 18th - November 4th 1936 are not included as their relationship to text is not detailed; see Mission Diary text for details of images] [see photos in publication]
This Image also appears in another collection
BMR.86.1.43.3 1998.131.286
Other Information
Notes on print/mount - 'Goitrous beggar; The finest goitre in the world. Note tongue protruded as mark of respect; ink no: 8; pencil no: CS/19, blue no: 1A'; from an envelope marked 'Scenes from Regent's tour' [KC 14/08/2006]
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]: 'Close-up of super-goiterous old woman'; PRM Manuscripts Collection: ‘List of Tibetan Prints and Negatives’ - Book 4: ‘15/3 - Goitrous woman putting out tongue as mark of respect’ [MS 18/03/2006]
Contemporary Publication -
Contemporary Publication - This photograph was used to illustrate the official Mission Diary for October 7th 1936. [MS 18/03/2006]
Other Information - Related Images
Other Information - Related Images: Images prefixed with 'CS' comprise a group of negatives containing images of patients at Dr Morgan’s Mission hospital, Mir Khan [Mission cook], curio sellers, bookshops, street scenes, the Jokhang, willow trees and Chapman. They all seem to have been taken on September 3rd 1936 [MS 18/03/2006]
Other Information - Setting
Other Information - Setting: On September 3rd 1936 the Mission visited the Jokhang temple and Brigadier Neame comments in the Mission diary for this day that: "This trip to the city afforded an opportunity of photographing some typical street scenes, beggars etc. It is curious that although no one minds cameras being produced and photos being taken, the women are very bashful of any individual close-up shots!" ['Lhasa Mission, 1936: Diary of Events', part V p.2 , written by Philip Neame]. Interestingly, the images chosen to illustrate this day in the diary were those taken by Neame, not Chapman [MS 18/03/2006]
Other Information - Cultural Background
Other Information - Cultural Background: Sticking the tongue out as a greeting began when Buddhists wanted people to know that they were not Bon-po (pre-Buddhist religion) as they were supposed to have black tongues, so pink tongues were stuck out as proof of being Buddhist. The further the tongue was stuck out, the greater the respect. A Tibetan was severely reprimanded during the Younghusband Expedition to Tibet for doing this. [Marina de Alarc’n ZF 1995.1]
For Citation use:
The Tibet Album.
"Tibetan woman with goitre"
05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum.
<http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.35.284.1.html>.
For more information about photographic usage or to order prints, please visit the The Pitt Rivers Museum.
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