Photo 10/15

Maroon half leather bound album (spine weak) measuring 275x375mm, with larger prints mounted singly on the page, the smaller snapshots mounted four to a page. Prints are uncaptioned and the album contains no dedicatory inscriptions. Photographer's label affixed to rear endpaper reads 'D.A. Ahuja 47 Sule Pagoda Road Rangoon'.

The album documents in chronological sequence events Lord Reading's visit to Burma in 1923-24. The visit itself lasted from 21 December 1923 to 3 January 1924, but the album is restricted to events in Rangoon and Mandalay between 21 and 28 December. These include the ceremonial arches erected in Rangoon to welcome the Viceroy (prints 2-12), the Viceroy's arrival at Rangoon on 21 December (prints 13-27), the visit to the Rangoon races and the presentation of the Lord Reading Cup on 22 December (prints 28-45), the garden party at Government House, Rangoon on 24 December (prints 46-60), the fete and sports on the Royal Lake, Rangoon on 25 December (prints 62-71), departure from Rangoon and arrival at Mandalay on 26-27 December (prints 72-82), the polo tournament at Mandalay on 27 December (prints 84-90), the private tour of the Old Palace, Mandalay on 28 December (prints 93-99), the garden party at Mandalay on 28 December (prints 100-110). Although none of the prints is captioned the above events can be identified with some certainty from the itineraries given in A. Batty's Tour book of Their Excellencies The Viceroy and Countess of Reading in Burma December-January 1923-24 (Rangoon, 1923). Further information can be gleaned from Photo 10/27 which contains a number of newspaper accounts of the tour as well as captioned duplicates of some of the prints in the album. Some further duplicates can also be found in Photo 10/23.

Process = Sepia toned gelatine prints.

Photographers = D.A. Ahuja, ;