Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Evan Yorke Nepean

Date of Photo

December 15th-22nd 1936

Region

Yamdrok Tso Region > Pede

Accession number

2001.35.304.1

Image Dimensions

104 x 72 mm

Pede Fort or Dzong on the shores of the sacred Yamdrok or Turquoise Lake. This is an aerial view taken with a telephoto lens from a mountainside behind the fort. The image shows the fort standing on a small peninsula jutting into the lake, with part of a settlement behind. Roof tops are visible in the bottom left corner. Grain threshing grounds enclosed by stonework walls can be seen in the lower left of the image. Ruins of other outbuildings attached to the fort can be seen around the structure at a lower level. There is a rectangular space enclosed by a stonework wall on the left of the image. Chapman commented in the Mission Diary that there appeared to be quite extensive depopulation of this area, evidence by the numbers of ruined houses and abandoned farms to be seen. Chapman visited this area twice, once in August and once in December 1936. This photograph was probably taken on the latter occasion

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

BE.16 [view film roll]

This Image also appears in another collection

BMR.86.1.69.4 1998.131.177

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - 'Pede Dzong on the Yamdrok ?; ink no: 106; pencil no: BE/16; 23 , blue no: 18'; from an envelope marked 'Scenes during journeys around Lhasa' [KC 15/08/2006]

Technical Information - This image was probably taken with a Contax camera using a 6-inch 4.5 telephoto lens. See Chapman Lhasa The Holy City [London: Chatto & Windus, 1938] for a description of the still and cine cameras that Chapman used as Mission photographer [MS 25/2/2005]

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]: 'Pede from hill v.g. [very good]' [MS 12/03/2006]

Other Information - Dates

Other Information - Dates: This image could have been taken on 21st August 1936 because the official Mission Diary records that it was on this date that the Mission caravan left Pede Dzong and travelled steeply up to the summit of Nyapso La, 1,500 ft above the fort. However, the photograph may alternatively have been taken during the period 15th - 23rd December when Chapman went on a trip to Yamdrok Tso. On December 18th Chapman climbed Pede Ri and Yasik Ri , two mountains just south of the lake behind Pede Fort . Chapman had accompanied Evan Nepean as far as Nagartse as Nepean was returning to Peshawar to resume his military duties. Chapman spent four days around Yamdrok Lake photographing bird life and flora whilst waiting for the arrival of the new commander of the Gyantse Escort, Major Finch, who then travelled with Chapman to Lhasa to spend Christmas with the Mission. That this occasion is the more likely date of the image is also indicated by the fact that 'B-E-16' has been written on the back. Other images of Yamdrok Lake taken on the December trip that were used to illustrate the official Mission Diary include those with 'B-E-' prefixes [B-E-13 & B-E-14] [MS 25/2/2005]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Pede Fort, Yamdrok Lake" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.35.304.1.html>.

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