Norbhu and Sonam Tobden with Everest permit

Norbhu and Sonam Tobden with Everest permit

1998.131.405 (Print black & white)

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Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Date of Photo

January 1st 1937

Named Person

Norbhu Dhondup, Sonam Tobden

Region

Lhasa > Dekyi Lingka

Accession number

1998.131.405

Image Dimensions

160 x 108

Rai Bahadur Norbhu OBE, a Tibetan aristocrat who worked as interpreter to the British Mission, and Sonham Kazi, a high ranking assistant to the Mission reading the permit for the 1938 Everest Expedition. This was presented to the British Mission on New Years Day, 1937

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

BJ.19 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]

Previous Pitt Rivers Museum Number

SC.T.2.405

Published

'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] [view list of illustrations]

Other Information

Notes on print/mount - The reference 'BJ 19' has been written on the back of the print in pencil [MS 23/03/2006]

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]: 'Ditto [Sonam and Norbu and Everest permit] v.'; PRM Manuscripts Collection: ‘List of Tibetan Prints and Negatives’ - Book 3: ‘33/1 - Sonham and Norbhu with permit for 1937 [ sic ] Everest expedition which the Mission obtained’ [MS 23/03/2006]

Other Information - Related Images

Other Information - Related Images: Images prefixed with 'BJ' comprise a group of negatives containing images of the Lhasa band, chang girls, Tibetan officials including Tsarong and Ringang, Finch, Norbhu, Everest Permit and Khampa people, all apparently taken in the first week of January 1937 [MS 16/03/2006]

Other Information - Setting


Other Information - Setting: "To celebrate New Year's Day we invited the following to a luncheon party: the Prime Minister; the four Shappes - or Cabinet Ministers - Langchunga, Bhondong, Tendong and Kalon Lama; the Yapshi Kung, or Grand Duke: Tsarong Dzaza, and Chikyap Khempo, the head of the Ecclesiastical party. ... On arrival the first act of the Cabinet was to hand to Norbhu a sealed packet made of coarse Tibetan paper, together with the customary white silk scarf of greeting. This turned out to be the permission for an Everest Expedition in 1938. The Cabinet had been considering the question for some weeks and it struck us as an act of the greatest courtesy to hand over the permit so unostentatiously as a New Year's present" ['Lhasa Mission, 1936: Diary of Events', Part XII p.1 , written by Chapman] [MS 23/03/2006]

For Citation use:
The Tibet Album. "Norbhu and Sonam Tobden with Everest permit" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.131.405.html>.

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