Photo 1043

Red half-leather bound album measuring 206x302mm, containing 399 gelatin silver prints mounted one or two per page, some with handwritten captions in ink. The album is arranged chronologically in 14 sections, each covering approximately a fortnight, with one additional section labelled 'L Series', containing undated photographs taken by Colonel Philip Neame after his departure from Lhasa in September 1936. Each of the photographs has a reference in the form of an alphabetical letter and numerical suffix pencilled in the corner: these refer to the Lhasa Mission Diary for the period, where more detailed information is supplied for most of the prints. The Lhasa Mission Diary 1936-40 can be found at IOR/L/P&S/12/4193 file 25. A handwritten note laid down on the front free endpaper reads: 'These are the photographs taken by the British Mission to Lhasa of 1936-7, which have at length been bound by the F.O. binder. They illustrate the Diary kept by the Mission and can in most cases be identified by reference numbers given in the text of the diary. Titles have however been given to most of the photographs so that continued reference to the Diary is not really necessary. The photographs of Tibetan notables are of particular interest. The Diary file can be produced if desired.'

From references in the Mission diary it appears that Frederick Spencer-Chapman was the photographer of the majority of these views, and unless stated to the contrary all material has been credited to him, although it is likely that a number of the photographs may have been taken by Philip Neame, in addition to those listed in the 'L Series'.

For a detailed accounts of the objectives of the 1936 Mission to Lhasa, designed primarily to offset Chinese influence in Tibet, see Amar Kaur Jasbir Singh, 'Himalayan Triangle' (British Library, 1988), pp. 102-110.