Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Evan Yorke Nepean

Date of Photo

September 21st 1936

Named Person

Reting Rinpoche, Norbhu Dhondup

Region

Lhasa > Shide Drokhang

Accession number

2001.35.378.1

Image Dimensions

72 x 105 mm

The Regent of Tibet, Reting Rinpoche, seated behind a microphone with Rai Bahadur Norbhu Dhondup standing to his right. A young monk stands behind holding the Regent's chair

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

CR.27 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

1998.131.520

Other Information

Notes on print/mount: 'Regent and Norbhu'; [ink no:] 60; [pencil no:] CR/27; [blue no:] ' [KC 15/08/2006]

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]: 'Regent and Norbhu by microphone' [MS 01/04/2006]

Research publication - Clare Harris and Tsering Shakya (eds.), 'Seeing Lhasa: British Depictions of the Tibetan Capital 1936-1947', Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2003, p. 47.

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 - Description: The Regent of Tibet, Reting Rinpoche, seated at a microphone with Norbhu Dhondhup (far right). For this occasion Nepean and Dagg set up a public-address amplifier in the Regent’s garden. “The microphone was set up in one corner of the garden and the amplifiers near the house. Norbhu and Tsarong then carried on a mock quarrel in front of the microphone, and the Regent, sitting in his room, could hear every word. This simply delighted him and he was as excited as a schoolboy. Then some gramophone records were played. Nothing but the loudest possible noise would satisfy the Regent, who made us play record after record at full blast. After this he went over and spoke into the microphone himself, at first rather self-consciously, but gradually finding great amusement at the sound of his own words and laughter booming back at him” Spencer Chapman ['Lhasa: The Holy City', F. Spencer Chapman, London: Chatto & Windus, 1938, p.113] [CH 2003]

Other Information - Location: It is not clear whether this photograph was taken in Shide Drokhang or the Dekyi Lingka as Richardson states in the Mission Diary for this day merely that the party "lunched with the Regent" [['Lhasa Mission, 1936: Diary of Events', Part VI p. 4]. It was sometimes the case that officials would arrange parties for the Mission party at the Dekyi Lingka rather than at their own residences [MS 01/04/2006]

Other Information - Related Images

Other Information - Related Images: Images prefixed with 'CR' comprise a group of negatives containing images of Nepean being carried from a boat, yaks at Mundu La, plants, Kusho Namdon La, Regent by microphone, Regent’s palace, large monk, Pargo Kaling, pagodas, Dr Morgan. They seem all to have been taken on September 20th - 21st 1936, with images of the Regent being taken on the latter date [MS 01/04/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Reting Rinpoche and Norbhu Dhondup with microphone" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.35.378.1.html>.

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Reting Rinpoche and Norbhu Dhondup with microphone