IDNO

N.103703.WIL


Description

A children’s party in the garden of Dekyilingka. Two rows of children wearing hats sit opposite each other on rugs. In between them are several little tables with small cups and plates of food placed on them. On either side of the tables stand adults serving food to the children.


Place

C Asia; Tibet; Lhasa; Dekyi Lingka


Cultural Affliation


Named Person


Photographer

Williamson, Frederick


Collector / Expedition


Date

2 September 1933


Collection Name

Williamson Collection


Source

Williamson, Margaret


Format

Film Negative Black & White


Primary Documentation


Other Information

N.103690.WIL - N.103724.WIL were found on Frederick Williamson's film, ref FW.53, in a box labelled Leica Films 40 - 60.

Related Image: On Cech’s list describing print P.97027.WIL :
“(58-135 where taken in Lhasa.)
107a/b/c. “Children’s party at Dekyi-lingka 2.9.33”
mpow: 117-8; 197” [printed text]
For more information see Cech’s list.

Bibliographical Reference: Margaret Williamson notes,“We held our children’s party on 2 September. Our young guests were due to arrive at half past two but the first of them began to show up at eleven and Norbhu had to keep them at bay for three hours while we frantically got on with the preparations, in which we were kindly assisted by Jigme and Mary-la Taring, Dingcha and several other Tibetan friends. Over forty children came and had great fun and games. We laid on a treasure hunt for them, a potato race, musical bumps, an egg-and-spoon race (with real eggs, which, thankfully. they mostly managed not to break!), a sack-race and a thread-and-needle race. Then there was a huge tea complete with fruit jelly, which they had never seen before and which caused a great deal of merriment! Afterwards we took them inside for a cinema show, putting on Fritz the Cat and Charlie Chaplin, which caused more hilarity. They were all presented with prizes and eventually they left - with enormous reluctance! - around half past five, each child carrying away a little package of the resourceful Pinjo’s excellent toffee. It all went off happily and I was told on good authority that it was certain to be the talk of Lhasa for months to come as nothing of the kind had ever happened there before.” [Source: p.117 Memoirs of a Political Officer’s Wife in Tibet, Sikkim and Bhutan by Margaret D. Williamson, Wisdom Publications, 1987. CJ 26/8/2008]

Place: Dekyilingka - “The house in Lhasa lent to the British Mission by Kundeling monastery served as the headquarters of the 1936 British Mission to Lhasa. Dekyilingka translates as the 'Happy Garden'.” [Source: The Tibet Album, http://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/glossary.php#Shol, JD 14/5/2008]

Publication: Image published alongside N.103704.WIL in MAA's Digital Lab blog 'A Ceremonial Cup of Tea', 20 June 2023, and captioned: "Figures 12 and 13. Left – Children being served tea and food at a children’s party in the garden of Dekyilingka (now the Dekyiling Tibetan settlement in Dehradun, India). Photographed by Frederick Williamson. MAA N.103703.WIL. Right – Children having tea and food at a children’s party in the garden of Dekyilingka (now the Dekyiling Tibetan settlement in Dehradun, India). Photographed by Margaret Williamson. MAA N.103704.WIL. Donated by Margaret Williamson. Williamson Collection." [Source: https://www.maadigitallab.org/blog/2023/06/20/a-ceremonial-cup-of-tea/, JD 10/07/2023]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Caspian James 26/8/2008]


FM:238353

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