Photography and TibetMagnificent and mysterious, Tibet has been a source of fascination for outsiders for centuries, and its grand landscapes and vibrant culture have especially captivated photographers. But the country is both geographically and politically challenging, and access from the outside has never been easy. With this book, Clare Harris offers the first historical survey of photography in Tibet and the Himalayas, telling the intriguing stories of both Tibetans and foreigners who have attempted to document the region’s wonders on film. Harris combines extensive research in museums and archives with her own fieldwork in Tibetan communities to present materials that have never been examined before—including the earliest known photograph taken in Tibet, dating to 1863. She looks at the experimental camera-work of Tibetan monks—including the thirteenth Dalai Lama—and the creations of contemporary Tibetan photographers and artists. With every image she explores the complex religious, political, and cultural climate in which it was produced. Stunningly illustrated, this book will appeal to anyone interested in the dramatic history of Tibet since the mid-nineteenth century and its unique entanglements with aesthetics and modernity. |
Contents
7 | |
9 | |
15 | |
The Opening of Tibet to Photography | 53 |
Tibetan Encounters with the Camera | 113 |
Epilogue | 154 |
References | 157 |
164 | |
Acknowledgements | 165 |
Photo Acknowledgements | 166 |
167 | |
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13th Dalai 14th Dalai Lama Albert Shelton albumen print Alexandra David-Néel archives Bell’s Bhutan Bhutia Bourne’s British India British photographers Buddhist Calcutta camera Charles Bell China Chinese Clare Harris colonial created culture Dakpa Darjeeling depiction documentation exile expedition film negative Francis Younghusband Frederick Spencer Frederick Spencer Chapman frontier cadres gelatin dry plate gelatin silver print Gerong Gotami Govinda Gyantse Himalayas Ibid illus illustrations images imperial John Claude White Johnston & Hoffmann Journey to Lhasa Kalimpong Kham Laden Lama’s landscape Laurence Waddell Lepcha Lhasa London McLeod Ganj mission monastery monks Museum Namdol Paar’s Panchen Lama People’s Republic Philip Egerton photographs of Tibet Photography and Tibet portraits Potala palace publication published Rabden Lepcha record reincarnate religious Rigdol Shangri-La Sikkim Spiti studio Tai Situpa Tenzin Gyatso Tenzing Tharchin Theos Bernard Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan capital Tibetan territory Tsarong Tseten Tashi twentieth century visual White Lama