Key Information

Photographer

Willoughby Patrick Rosemeyer?

Collection

Sir Charles Bell

Date of Photo

March 13th 1922?

Region

Lhasa > Jokhang > Sungchora

Accession number

1998.285.632

Image Dimensions

81 x 81 mm

Dalai Lama's sermon on the 15th day of the 1st Tibetan Month. Crowds seated all around the square, with some of the crowd turning to look at the photographer. Crowds of monks are seated in the square whilst higher ranking Abbots, monks and officials are kneeling on the raised platform. A wooden structure with poles has been erected in the centre of the square

Further Information

Photographic Process

Lantern Slide

Date Acquired

Donated 1983

Donated by

St. Antony's College, Oxford

Expedition

Sir Charles Bell's Mission to Lhasa 1920-21

Photo also owned by

Sir Charles Bell; Royal Central Asiatic Society

Revised Photographer

Lt Col R. S. Kennedy?

Previous Catologue Number

L.49

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

BL.P.52

Related Collections

British Library, Oriental and India Office Collections

Published

'Portrait of the Dalai Lama', Sir Charles Bell, London: Collins, 1946 [view list of illustrations]

Manual Catalogues -

Manual Catalogues - Bell's List of Illustrations entry: "[No. of chapter] V. [Subject of Chapter] The Dalai Lama [Subject of Illustration] P.52 (ak) The Dalai Lama's yearly sermon in Lhasa in the early morning of the 15th of the first Tibetan month, during Prayer Festival. Pulpit in background in left centre. [Remarks] See Diary of Feb. '21. See also I, 18. L.49 (D.L)."

Other Information - Photographer: The negative from which this slide was made is not in the PRM Collection. It seems to have been made from a Postcard-sized negative. This size was not typically used by Bell during his time in Lhasa and it may be that this image was taken by Willoughby Patrick Rosemeyer in 1922 or subsequently. He used this image size and made many visits to Lhasa from 1922 onwards relating to the establishment of a telegraph line. The close proximity of the photographer to the crowd on this auspicious occasion suggests that it was probably not taken by Lt Col Kennedy either. Kennedy, as Medical Officer on bell's mission, was sometimes able to get closer, more intimate images than Bell, who felt the constraints of his official status. However, at this time there was a great deal of discontent in the large monasteries of Sera and Drepung, partly related to the presence of the British Mission, and it may be, therefore, that Kennedy would not have entered a crowd of monks at this time [MS 20/8/2004]

Notes on print/mount - '34' has been written in blue-black ink. This slide seems to have been used by Bell as slide 34 in a lantern lecture titled 'The Dalai Lama' [MS 20/8/2004]

Contemporary Publication -

Contemporary Publication - Published in 'Portrait of the Dalai Lama', Bell, C. A., London: Collins, 1946, facing p.273:"Dalai Lama's public sermon delivered yearly during the prayer festival."

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Dalai Lama's sermon in square outside " 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.285.632.html>.

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Dalai Lama's sermon in square outside