Imperial Russian Geographical Society photographs of Central Tibet
odd: label: Local Call Number(s)
content: NAA Photo Lot 76-122
name: label: Creator
content: Russkoe geograficheskoe obshchestvo
label: Photographer
content: Norzunov, Ovshe M.
label: Photographer
content: T︠S︡ybikov, G. T︠S︡. (Gonbochzhab T︠S︡ėbekovich), 1873-1930
place: label: Place
content: Lhasa (China)
label: Place
content: Tibet (China)
topic: label: Topic
content: Buddhist pilgrims and pilgrimages
label: Topic
content: Buddhist monasteries
creator: label: Creator
content: Russkoe geograficheskoe obshchestvo
culture: label: Culture
content: Buddhists
label: Culture
content: Tibetans
bioghist: label: Biographical/Historical note
content: G. Ts. Tsybikov was a Russian-educated Buriat scholar and a Buddhist who made a pilgrimage to Lhasa in 1899-1902. He documented his pilgrimage in photographs and made extensive notes on Tibetan society and politics. In May 1903, he presented his photographs and report to the Geographical Society, which won him the society's Przhevalskii prize. Ovshe M. Norzunov was a Mongolian Kalmuk who also traveled to Tibet as a Buddhist pilgrim, in 1989, 1900, and 1901. Because of their Mongolian heritage, Tsybikov and Norzunov were able to enter Lhasa at a time when Western visitors were barred from the city. Their photographs, published in the January 1905 issue of National Geographic, are noted for having created the magazine's "hallmark" photographic focus.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 50 Platinum prints (mounted)
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1900
custodhist: label: Custodial History note
content: The photographs were donated to the Smithsonian Libraries circa 1904, possibly by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. They were transferred to the National Anthropological Archives in 1976.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.PhotoLot.76-122
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Platinum prints
label: Type
content: Photographs
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
otherfindaid: label: Other Finding Aids note
content: Inventory available in repository
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents note
content: Photographs documenting Tibetan monasteries, Potala Palace, Tibetan women, cities, and scenery in Central Tibet, including the region's capital, Lhasa. Prints are in a boxed set issued by the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (Russkoe geograficheskoe obshchestvo).
relatedmaterial: label: Location of Other Archival Materials
content: Digital surrogates of a similar set of photographs are held by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries.