IDNO

P.96949.WIL

Description

On Cech’s list describing prints:
“(19-57 where taken en route for Lhasa.)
57. “Guard of honour on our arrival at Lhasa 14.8.33. Potala in the background”
This was taken near the Norbu Lingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama (MPOW: 95).” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Place

C Asia; Tibet; Lhasa; Norbhu Lingka

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Margaret Williamson

Photographer

Williamson, Frederick

Collector / Expedition

Date

14 August 1933

Collection Name

Williamson Collection

Source

Williamson, Margaret

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: The Guard of Hounour is mentioned in Williamson, Margaret, 1987. Memoirs of a Political Officer’s Wife (Wisdom Publication, London), pp. 94 - 95:
“We continued for about 500 yards before coming to the Norbhu Lingka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama, a long, imposing building set amid lovely gardens. Here about four hundred soldiers were drawn up as a guard of honour. They were commanded by Depon Shasur and four gyapons (literally, ‘commander of a hundred’), and had with them a brass band that played creditably. Colours were also carried. The soldiers all wore khaki drill uniforms - not the smartest - and trousers, but no puttees. A few had western-style boots but most had on the colourful high Tibetan cloth boots with rope or leather soles. They carried .303 rifles which the British had supplied. While Derrick went off with Bruce to inspect them, the crowd surged around me, fairly bubbling with curiosity. As they all seemed so good-natured, I felt perfectly at home among them.
‘Their drill was pretty good,’ Derrick told me when he had got back from his inspection. ‘Some of those chaps have just got back fighting the Chinese in Kham. and fine, strapping chaps they are too. I’m impressed!’.
As we continued our progress towards the holy city, the imposing bulk of the Potala loomed nearer and larger all the time.” [JD 13/5/2008]

Place: “Norbulingka is the summer palace of the Dalai Lamas situated about 4 km to the west of Lhasa and situated in a large open area. Most of the main buildings were constructed during the 18th century by the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas.” [Source: Cech’s llist, JD 14/5/2008]

Transcription: The transcription of this album by Mark Turin and Sara Shneiderman was carried out with reference to Krystina Cech’s catalogue list alone. Alex Nadin has since revised their cataloguing by systematically matching their records to the images. Margaret Williamson’s handwritten captions for photographs have now been transcribed into the Inscription field, and Cech’s descriptions appear in the Description field. Correct entries for Place, Named Person and Other Nos. have also been entered by Alex Nadin. [Sudeshna Guha 29/10/2002]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Jocelyne Dudding 9/5/2008]