Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Evan Yorke Nepean

Date of Photo

October 4th - 5th 1936?

Region

Lhasa

Accession number

2001.35.299.1

Image Dimensions

104 x 70 mm

A group of artists seated on the floor painting Christmas cards for Mission members.

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

CX.35 [view film roll]

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - 'Lhama artists making Christmas cards for us; ink no: 35; pencil no: CX/35; , blue no: 33'. From an envelope marked 'Scenes during journeys around Lhasa'. [KC 07/08/2006]

Notes on print/mount - Caption in Chapman's hand-written list of negatives made whilst on the Mission to Lhasa, 1936-7 [See PRM Manuscripts Collection]: 'Artists at work thin [i.e.: under exposed]' [MS 07/08/2006]

Research publication - Clare Harris and Tsering Shakya (eds.) 2003 'Seeing Lhasa: British Depictions of the Tibetan Capital 1936-1947' (Serindia Publications, Chicago). Page 67.

Exhibition - This image appeared in the 2003 Temporary Exhibition at the Pitt Rivers "Seeing Lhasa: British Depictions of the Tibetan Capital 1936-1947"

Other Information - Setting

Other Information - Setting: A group of Tibetan artists seated on the floor painting Christmas cards for the 1936 Gould Mission. The cards were to be sent to British and Tibetan friends and colleagues as the majority of British Mission members stayed in Lhasa for Christmas and both British and Tibetan New Year. Gould instructed that a Christmas party should be held for Tibetan children at the Dekyi Lingka. The Mission house was decorated with a Christmas tree and Norbhu Dhondup was disguised as Santa Claus. The party was a great success and the children reportedly requested that Christmas would become an annual event in Lhasa. [CH 2003]

Other Information - Related Images

Other Information - Related Images: Images prefixed with 'CX.' taken on the British Mission to Lhasa of 1936-37 comprise a group of negatives containing images of Phendong and his house, grinding grain, officials (5th rank), Rupon, doctors, artists at work, official’s at Regent’s departure. They all seem to have been taken between October 2nd - 6th 1936 [MS 07/08/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Artists making Christmas cards" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.35.299.1.html>.

For more information about photographic usage or to order prints, please visit the The Pitt Rivers Museum.