Seeing Tibet through soldiers' eyes: photograph albums in regimental museums
Name
DividingThe_Spoils.png
Description
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278.21 KB
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Checksum (CRC64NVME)
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Resource type
Book chapter
Creator (person)
Henrietta, Lidchi
Rosanna, Nicolson
Date published
September 2020
Abstract
In his ‘Notes on Photography’ dated 1860 Captain Henry Shaw of the Royal Engineers itemised the uses to which photography could be applied for military and scientific purposes. He notes that over time, capturing scenes, places and persons would prove of personal interest to the photographer and more generally, justifying the physical encumbrance of carrying photographic equipment on campaign. Analysis of photographs and scrap albums recording the 1903–04 ‘Younghusband Mission’ into Tibet takes us beyond straightforward photographic representation into considering the afterlife of the images created on campaign. Evidence of practices of duplication, compilation and curation of images, shows the importance of recognising the album as acomposite artefact, drawing in official and personal photographs. Many of these albums were made after the event, and can include further visual material (eg: newspaper cutting or cartoons). A close reading of the combination of photographic prints on a page, combined with their captions, demonstrates the function of these albums as individual and collective memorials.
Project(s)
Baggage and Belonging: Military Collections and the British Empire, 1750– 1900
Funder
| Funder name | Awards |
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) | |
Series name
Studies in Imperialism
Book title
Dividing the spoils: Perspectives on military collections and the British empire
Editor
Lidchi, Henrietta
Allan, Stuart
Publisher
Manchester University Press
Place of publication
Manchester
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Rights statement
In Copyright