Contemporary Tibet conjures a mysterious mental image. Situated at the highest elevation on Earth, it is historically hotly contested territory with a large nomadic and religious population. So imagine how much more mysterious it was 100 years ago — when travel was difficult and few foreigners were granted entry.
Now part of Tibet's unseen history is coming into light, with an auction in London on Tuesday of photographs taken more than a century ago, during the 1903 British mission to Tibet. The photographs, taken by British political officer John Claude White, are the first known images to have left the country.
A portrait of Tibetan women circa 1903 is one of many in the album being auctioned.
"Their heads were shaved, apparently, and they wore these astonishing wigs on top," Park said. "They seem to be quite happy even though they're being photographed by an invading force."
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