Photo 392/34

A collection of five uniform photograph albums with prints inserted in aperture mounts, recording Stein's fourth expedition to the sites of the Taklamakan oases: his final and least successful Central Asian journey. This expedition was funded by Harvard University and in April/May 1930 Stein travelled to Nanking to apply for passports from the Chinese authorities to undertake the trip. He was less than frank in his explanations of the purposes of the journey, particularly regarding the question of the removal of archaeological finds, describing the expedition as being mainly concerned with questions of historical topography. Permission to proceed having been granted by the Chinese Foreign Minister at Nanking, Dr Wang (although not by the authorities at Peking, who were not approached), Stein returned to India and set out from Kashmir on 11 August 1930, travelling on his old route through Gilgit and Hunza up to Kashgar, which he reached on 11 October. He left Kashgar on 11 November and from this point on the expedition faced increasing difficulties and official obstruction from the Chinese, who not without reason in the light of Stein's former activities in the area (and his perhaps indiscreetly frank published accounts of his methods of acquiring artefacts), mistrusted his original explanations of the purpose of the journey. He was forced to take along a Chinese assistant whose task was almost certainly to report back on his movements, he was forbidden to dig at many sites and difficulties were placed in the way of finding labour for excavations. In the face of this obstruction Stein eventually abandoned the expedition and returned to Kashgar at the end of April 1931, having achieved little archaeological work of value. So nugatory were the results that Stein published no narrative of the expedition (apart from a self-justifying account in 'The Times' of 16 July 1931) and the photographs are therefore less well documented that his other Central Asian journeys. The photographs in these albums are from two series of negatives, listed by Stein as the 'T' series and the 'T.200' series, here merged in roughly chronological order. Duplicates of the prints, separated into the relevant series, can be found at Photo 392/35 ('T' series) and Photo 392/36 ('T.200' series).

The five albums in this collection are as follows:

A.75 Prints 1-96 Blue cloth covered album measuring 240 x 160 mm, containing 96 prints in aperture mounts measuring 71 x 97 mm. This album covers the period from 3 August to 23 September 1930, recording the journey up from Srinagar, through Hunza to the border of Chinese Turkestan. Photographs taken at Aliabad, Altit, Arbab Diwanesho, Astor Valley, Bandipur, Batur Glacier, Bunekimaltar, Burikot, Burzil Pass, Chalt, Chong Sarigh-jilga, Drang, Dudgai, Durkan, Duyan, Fazalpur, Gulmit, Gurais Valley, Haidarabad, Hattu Pir, Hunza, Hunza Valley, Jutial, Kalapani Valley, Kamri Pass, Kanzalwan, Kishenganga Valley, Maizar, Mamishar Valley, Migechar, Mintaka-aghzi, Mohand Marg, Murkushi, Murtazabad, Nomal, Parri, Pirirot, Sakmal, Shimshal Valley, Sikanderabad, Sustizar, Tilel Gorge, Tragbal, Wagabal, Wular Lake.

A.76 Prints 97–192 Blue cloth covered album measuring 240 x 160 mm, containing 96 prints in aperture mounts measuring 71 x 97 mm. The album covers the period from 24 September 1930 to 6 February 1931, with photographs taken at Aidin-kol, Arik-aghzi-oghil, Cholak Langar, Dershat-jilga, Domoko, Endere, Farhad Beg-yailaki, Imam-Jafar-Sadik, Kakshal, Kalta-yailak-bazar, Kanghru-chaval, Kara-kash, Kara-kir, Karamat, Kashgar, Kashka-su, Kepek-Goluk Mazar, Keriya, Khalpat-langar, Kichik-karaul, Kiz-kurghan, Korgach, Lop-Bazar, Niya, Och-merwan, Ovraz-langar, Pawan Ghuje-kum, Pondara, Posgam, Tangitar Gorge, Tash-kurghan, Tokus-kol, Tuzluk-chaval, Yangi-hissar, Yar-tungaz River, Yar-tungaz-tarim, Yes-yulghun, Yotkan, Yupogha.

A.77 Prints 193–288 Blue cloth covered album measuring 240 x 160 mm, containing 96 prints in aperture mounts measuring 71 x 97 mm. The album covers the period from 7 February to 22 May 1931, with photographs taken at Agh-aghzi, Arpa-aghzi, Awaila, Bai, Bugur, Chang-tzu, Chara, Chilan, Chompak-bazar, Chong-kol (Yarkand-darya), Doral, Gharib Khojam Mazar, Jorga, Kara-yantak, Karadai, Kashgar, Ketme, Kizil-kaghe, Kizil-ming-oi, Konche-darya, Kone-tarim, Kurghan, Kuyuk-tura, Laisu, Laisu-tura, Mosuma, Oi-kol, Oi-tagh-aghzi, Okur-mazar, Shaldrang, Tais-kol, Tash-malik, Tawilgha, Toghra-dong, Toghrak-dong, Tokum, Tugh-mahalla, Tumshuk, Tuzluk, Vash-shahri, Yalghuz-toghrak, Yangi-darya, Yangi-hissar.

A.78 Prints 289–383 Blue cloth covered album measuring 240 x 160 mm, containing 96 prints in aperture mounts measuring 71 x97 mm. The album covers the period 22 May to 13 June 1931, with photographs taken at Altit, Arpa-aghzi, Arpa-bel, Basik-kul, Batur Glacier, Bauri, Bichkur, Boihill, Dafdar, Farhad-ariki, Ghareth, Ghujak-bai-dasht, Gircha, Gul Khwaja, Hunza, Hunza Valley, Igrikyok-karaul, Ilegorum, Kara-kol, Khaibar, Khodabad, Kiz-kurghan, Kongur Range, Kongur-debe, Lup-guz, Mintaka Pass, Misgar, Muhammadabad, Murkushi, Pasu, Ransh, Shaghalitik, Shagildik Pass, Starkhguz, Su-bashi, Taghash, Tamgha-tash, Tangi Gorge, Tash-kurghan, Tash-mahal, Tiznaf-kurghan, Topkhana, Ulugh-rabat Pass, Wundargah, Yal.

A.79 Prints 384–415 Blue cloth covered album measuring 240 x 160 mm, containing 33 prints in aperture mounts measuring 71 x 97 mm. The album covers the period 13 June to 24 September 1931, with photographs taken at Astor, Burzil Pass, Chumarkhan, Gawech, Gilgit, Hindi, Karram, Khanabad, Masot, Minapin, Mochial, Mohand Marg, Murtazabad, Nanga Parbat, Naupur, Nomal, Srinagar. Plus one view of Farhad Beg-yailaki, which is out of chronological sequence (14 December 1930).