Nomad woman with hair ornamentation

Nomad woman with hair ornamentation

1998.131.249 (Print black & white)

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Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Date of Photo

January 1937

Region

Lhasa Area

Accession number

1998.131.249

Image Dimensions

110 x 159 mm

Back view of a nomad woman from Eastern Tibet with head bent down to reveal the style of her plaited hair, the textile extension and turquoise charm box on her forehead. This has also been woven into her hair. The piece of cloth is covered with conch shells and coins. The woman is wearing a long striped apron. The guide ropes running across the image are likely to be those of tents erected by the nomad group. A man's arm can be seen entering the picture from the top left, apparently indicating to the woman how low she should bow

Further Information

Photographic Process

Print gelatin silver

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

9.13

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

SC.T.2.249

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - '9-13' has been written on the back of the print. This relates to the numbering system that Chapman adopted for the images that he took whilst on the British Mission to Lhasa in 1936-37 [MS 11/2/2005]

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]: 'Close up of Kamba woman bending down and showing headdress v.g.'; PRM Manuscripts Collection: ‘List of Tibetan Prints and Negatives’ - Book 4: ‘7/1 - Herdswoman bowing to show of [ sic ] headdress’ [MS 16/03/2006]

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 Kamba woman bending down and showing headdress v.g.'; PRM Manuscripts Collection: ‘List of Tibetan Prints and Negatives’ - Book 4: ‘7/1 - Herdswoman bowing to show of [ sic ] headdress’ [MS 16/03/2006]

Contemporary Publication -


Contemporary Publication - Chapman used this image to illustrate the official Mission Diary of 1936-37 for the introduction to Part XIII of the Diary (January 15th - 31st 1937). He wrote: "Most of the travellers are nomads from the Chang Thang or the Hor or Kham provinces. ... One woman - who had come eight days' journey from the North of Lhasa with yaks loads of Juniper wood - had her hair divided in the middle, and each half plaited into innumerable minute tresses and then looped up to her belt by a long string of turquoise and coral beads. On the back of the head, between the two lots of plaits, was a bit of cloth about a foot in length and half that width, arranged with lines of white shells, bone buttons and, more extraordinarily still, a row of regimental brass buttons including one of a British soldier. In addition to all this she wore, over here forehead, a rosette as big as a saucer of different coloured beads."

Other Information - Related Images

Other Information - Related Images: Images prefixed with '9.' comprise a group of negatives containing images of Trisum sampa, yaks on Sera plain, Sera monastery and Khampa people. They all seem to have been taken in January 1937 [MS 16/03/2006]

Other Information - Description: Chapman wrote a shorter description of this woman's headdress in his publication Lhasa the Holy City [London: Chatto & Windus, 1938; reprint, London: Readers Union Ltd., 1940]. He wrote: "The most remarkable thing about these nomad women is their head-dresses which exhibit untold variety. One woman (I think from Nagchuka) had her hair tied into innumerable minute plaits, each no thicker than blindcord. These were divided into two bundles and looped up to her belt. Over the nape of her neck and hanging from her hair was a square foot of cloth ornamented with cowrie shells and, apparently, white bone trouser buttons. Over her forehead was a rosette the size of a saucer, of small blue, white, and red beads" [1940, p.159] [MS 26/3/2005]

Other Information - Related Images


Other Information - Related Images: This woman is the same as appears in 1998.131.248, in which she is shown wearing a cap and with her back to the camera [MS 11/2/2005]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Nomad woman with hair ornamentation" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.131.249.html>.

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