Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Hugh E. Richardson

Date of Photo

December 15th-22nd 1936

Region

Yamdrok Tso Region > Pede dzong

Accession number

BMR.86.1.69.4

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 gelatin silver

Copy difference

Crop marks

Expedition

British Diplomatic Mission to Lhasa 1936-37

Photo also owned by

Donated to the British Museum in 1986 by Hugh E. Richardson

Previous Catologue Number

BE.16 [view film roll]

Related Collections

F. S. Chapman Collection in the Pitt Rivers Museum

This Image also appears in another collection

1998.131.177

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - Many publication crop-markings have been hand-written in pencil on the back of the print. These include '5 5/8 Facsimile" ' across the width of the image, and the instruction to cut 5/8" from the left hand side of the image (and a smaller amount from the right). These crops would help to centre the fort in the centre of the image. Other instructions can be seen on the object. The reference number 'B-E-16' can be seen in the centre of the print. "2a" has been written in the top left hand corner. 'Remove black and white lines at edges and square up' has been written in red pencil across the lower back of the print [MS 14/01/2005]

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 British Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_BMR.86.1.69.4.html>.

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Pede Fort, Yamdrok Lake