Key Information

Photographer

Frederick Spencer Chapman

Collection

Evan Yorke Nepean

Date of Photo

September 21st 1936

Named Person

Reting Rinpoche, Norbhu Dhondup, Tsarong Dzasaj

Region

Lhasa > Shide Drokhang

Accession number

2001.35.388.1

Image Dimensions

106 x 71 mm

The Regent of Tibet, Reting Rinpoche, sitting behind a microphone. Rai Bahadur Norbhu Dhondup on the right, Tsarong Dzasa on the left. Monks behind and to the left of the Regent, with a young monk standing behind his chair, and a lay servant in the centre back of the image.

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.22 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

1998.131.521

Other Information

Notes on print/mount: ' ? , Tsarong, ?, ?, Regent (seated), Norbhu.' [ink no:] 62; [pencil no:] A PMP; [blue no:] 54 [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 in front of microphone'; PRM Manuscripts Collection: ‘List of Tibetan Prints and Negatives’ - Book 3: ‘28/1 - The Regent tries our loudspeaker. Tsarong on left and Norbhu on right [MS 01/04/2006]

Other Information - Description: The Regent of Tibet, Reting Rinpoche, seated at a microphone with Norbhu Dhondhup (far right) and Tsarong Dzaza in profile on the right in a light coloured chuba . 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; MS 01/04/2006]

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, Norbhu and Tsarong with microphone" 05 Dec. 2006. The Pitt Rivers Museum. <http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_2001.35.388.1.html>.

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Reting Rinpoche, Norbhu and Tsarong with microphone