Tibet - White, John Claude
£7,500
Rare Books, Maps and Manuscripts
Auction: 11 January 2012 at 11:00 GMT
Description
Tibet and Lhasa. Calcutta: Johnston and Hoffmann, [1908]. Oblong 4to, 53 collotype plates from White's glass negatives including 1 large folding panorama, each image with descriptive letterpress text, original maroon cloth lettered in gilt, small stain to some fore-margins, short tear at head of title, lightly rubbed
Footnote
Note: Very rare. John Claude White, a political officer in Sikkim, was asked to join as Joint-Commissioner the "Tibet Frontier Commission" under the command of Francis (later Sir Francis) Younghusband. The expedition's ostensible mission was to prevent Tibetan encroachment upon "British" territory in Sikkim, to compel the Tibetans to remove a customs post at Giao-gong, and remove boundary pillars they had set up along the undisputed watershed between the Tista and the Ammno Chu. The Tibetans had also ostensibly insulted the treaty rights of the British by building a wall across the only road from Tibet to the market of Yatung, which had been thrown open to trade by the stipulations of the Convention of 1890-93. The real but unstated reason for the expedition was to prevent Russia from establishing a foothold in Tibet which might in time threaten India.
White's photographs comprise the earliest and most extensive photographic record of the interior and peoples of Tibet. Messrs. Johnston & Hoffmann of Calcutta published the photographs as a two volume album, dated 1907-08, and a smaller format one volume album of photographs in 1908. Copies of the 1907-08 publication are extremely rare (only a handful of copies are known). Each photograph has an accompanying leaf or leaves of descriptive text. The photographs depict the Khamba Jong (2), Mount Everest from Khamba Jong, Group of Nuns, The Abbot at Khamba Jong, Chonghu, The Amo Chu River, Phema, Bridge at Phema, Phari Jong, Samuda, Yaks in Ekkas, Gyantze Jong, The Goorkha Post, Nishi Kang Sang Glacier (2), View of the Yamdok Tso (2), The Tsanpo or Brahmaputra Valley, Chaksam Ferry (3), Two Views up the Kyichu Valley (2), Troilung Bridge, Debung Monastery, A Group of Lamas of Debung Monastery, An image in one of the Gumpas of Debung Monastery, Nejung Monastery (4), The Astrologer's Summer Residence, Sera Monastery, Street scence in Sera Monastery, The Two Stewards and Senior Lamas of Sera Monastery, The Entrance to Lhasa, A Street Scene in Lhasa, A Doring or Monument outside the Jowo Khang, The Lingkor or sacred circular road of Lhasa, The Potola (8), The Regent, The Shapes, Tongsa Penlop and his Retinue, The Chinese Amban, & Panorama of Lhasa (folding).
An album comprising 70 platinum prints, and 2 folding panoramas, by John Claude White, containing many of the same images, sold at Bonhams, 5 October 2010, lot 224, for £38,400.