| RCS contains: |
|---|
| <-- See earlier |
|---|
| Y3022ZZ-MMM |
H.A. Douglas Indian collection |
| Y3022ZZZ-BBBB |
India. Gardner-Waterman Kashmir Collection |
| Y3024A |
Travels in South Asia and Australia |
| Y302592A |
Report on a Mission to Sikkim and the Tibetan Frontier, with a Memorandum on our relations with Tibet |
| Y3026A |
Edmund Stoneham collection |
| Y3029A |
Burma Campaigns 1889-91 |
| Y3029B |
Upper Burmah [i.e. Myanmar] Expeditionary Force, 1886-87 |
| Y3029C |
Photographs of Burma [i.e. Myanmar] |
| Y3029D |
18 photographs of Burma [Myanmar] |
| Y3029E |
Burma, circa 1903 - circa 1921 |
| Y3029F |
Burma missionary photographs |
| See later --> |
|---|
|
Burma Campaigns 1889-91
| Title |
Burma Campaigns 1889-91 |
| Reference |
GBR/0115/Y3029A |
| Creator |
Various |
| Covering Dates |
1889–1891 |
| Extent and Medium |
35 images in 1 album; As the original album was damaged by water, the photographs, with accompanying captions, have been remounted in a new album. |
| Repository |
Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Library |
|
| Content and context |
A collection of albumen prints by F. Beato and others. The photographs include views connected with the Wuntho Sawbwa Campaign 1890-91, the Chin Lushai Expedition 1889-90 and a number of ethnographical studies. Most of the photographs have captions. |
Access and Use
|
Please cite as Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Library, Burma Campaigns 1889-91, Y3029A |
| Further information |
|
The photograph descriptions include information and quotations from: Scott, J. G. (1900), Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States, Rangoon: Printed by the Superintendent, Government printing, Burma. A number of the photographs are also reproduced in this work.
Indexed
This collection level description was entered by KS using information from the original typescript catalogue.
This collection is available on microfiche: South East Asia, fiche number 1.
|
| Index Terms |
| Asia |
| Myanmar |
| RCS/Y3029A contains: |
|
1
|
Group of Chin Chin [sic] chiefs taken at Mandalay, Burma [i.e. Myanmar]. 239 x 176 mm. Showing a group of Chin chiefs, wearing their distinctive woven blankets and white turbans, gathered on a raised courtyard, possibly the roof of a bungalow. Scott describes these woven blankets in his Gazetteer (Scott 1900, volume 1, part 1, p.468). During the punitive campaigns against the Chins groups of chiefs were taken to Rangoon several times, 'the sight of which it was hoped would ensure their loyalty' (Scott 1900, part 1, volume 1, p.443). A group from Tiddim was sent down in 1890 and two other parties made the journey in 1891, one from the north in May and one from the south in October. This, and the following prints, might well have been taken on one of these journeys. The results of this plan were disappointing: 'The tales told were too marvellous for the acceptation of their fellow-countrymen. Their scepticism irritated many of the travellers, who had moreover seen so many marvellous things that after a time they seem to have doubted the evidence of their own senses. Sneers and insinuations worked so effectively with some that a few of the sight-seers themselves were stung into taking part in later disturbances in the hills' (Scott 1900, volume 1, part 1, p. 445).
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition apart from slight fading.. |
|
|
2
|
Group of the principal Chin chiefs, Mandalay, Burma [i.e. Mandalay, Myanmar]. 239 x 179 mm.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
|
|
3
|
Group of Chin chiefs taken at Mandalay, Burma [i.e. Myanmar]. 240 x 175 mm. Similar to Y3029A/1, but with an unidentified European holding an umbrella, standing at the left of the group.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition.. |
|
|
4
|
Group of Chin warriors. 211 x 252 mm. Group portrait of seven Chin warriors armed with bows, with two girls squatting in the foreground. The men wear loincloths, have baskets slung over their shoulders and numerous necklaces.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
|
|
5
|
Two Chin girls. 192 x 257 mm. Showing two girls standing with arms around each other. In a reproduction of this photograph (Scott 1900), the girls are identified as 'Chinboks', who lived in the hills from the Maw River down to the Saw chaung (watercourse) in the southern Chin Hills. The costume worn by these girls is well-described: 'The dress of the women is a sort of tabard, or sleeveless jersey with a V-shaped throat. Below this is a small loincloth, which shows about six inches below the jacket. These jackets are of the same pattern as the men's cloth and are also home-made ... Neither sex cut the hair; it is tied with strips of cloth, usually red, in a knot on the top of the head.' (Scott 1900, volume 1, part 1, p.461).
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition.. |
|
|
6
|
Shan beauty. 184 x 246 mm. Showing a Shan girl standing in front of a raised house constructed of woven palm fronds. Her dress proclaims her a woman of the British Tai [Shan] States: 'The dress is not open at the front as it is with the Burma girl, nor is it tucked up between the legs as it is with the Siamese. It is, however, fastened in the same way by a half hitch at the waist ... The women in the British Tai States fold the dress over the bosom ...' (Scott 1900, volume 1, part 1, page 319). The woman also wears a broad rimmed hat of Chinese pattern.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition.. |
|
|
7
|
Kachin women. 198 x 255 mm. Full length portrait of two Kachin women standing in front of a wooden fence. The precise tribe of the Kachin people to which these women belong has not been identified. From the description of costumes of the Northern (Khakhu) and Southern (Chingpaw) given in J.G. Scott's 'Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States', they appear to share characteristics of both groups. The women wear dark coloured turbans embroidered jackets and skirts made from a large oblong of woven cloth. Around their waists are many cane rings, two of which are decorated to form a double row of cowrie shells (Scott 1900, volume 1, part 1, pages 397-398).
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition.. |
|
|
8
|
Kachin warriors. 206 x 265 mm. Group portrait of three Kachin warriors. These men conform to Scott's description of the costume of the Northern (Khakhu) Kachins: 'Generally speaking the Khakhus wear a narrow turban wound round the head, but not concealing completely the top knot of hair; a coat with long sleeves, generally dyed with indigo, and without embroidery, and a striped oblong piece of cloth, just about the size of a bath-towel, which they pass around the waist and secure in front by a twist.' (Scott 1900, volume 1, part 1, page 397).
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
|
|
9
|
The [?] Morgandine Pass. 275 x 207 mm. View looking along a recently constructed road running along the side of a heavily wooded valley. The precise location has not been identified, but this is possibly one of the roads built by troops during the Chin-Lushai campaign of 1889-90.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
|
|
10
|
The [?] Morgandine Pass. 210 x 296 mm. Showing a track leading through woodland, with a Burmese group standing beside a bullock cart in the foreground.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
|
|
11
|
The Coy. 2nd Devon Regt. Under Capt. Davies and 2nd Lts. Homan and Logan who marched from Shwebo to Kawlin a distance of 98 miles in 5 days (Burma [i.e. Myanmar]). 273 x 181 mm. Showing men of the Second Battalion, Devonshire Regiment on parade in an open, grassed area. The precise date of this march has not been ascertained, but was almost certainly connected with the assault on the Kyaing-Kwintaung Stockade during the Wuntho Sawbwa Campaign of 1891.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition apart from slight fading at edges.. |
1891 |
|
12
|
The assault on Kyaing-Kwintaung Stockade by the Coy 2nd Devon Regt. Under Capt. Davies and 2nd Lts. Holman and Logan. 270 x 205 mm. Showing soldiers of the Devonshire Regiment outside the stockade, with a bugler and a wounded man in the foreground. The photograph, judging by the static postures of the figures, is a reconstruction after the event. Situated between the Irrawaddy and Chindwin Rivers, the state of Wuntho was not absorbed into British administration after the Third Burmese War of 1885-86. The Sawbwa (hereditary ruler of a Shan state) at this period was Maung Aung Myat who had taken over the leadership in 1881. Consistently ill-disposed towards the British the Sawbwa had allowed his lands to become a place of refuge for dacoits (robbers) fleeing the British and in February 1891 open rebellion broke out when British troops entered northern Wuntho in pursuit of bandits. A number of British police posts were attacked and British troops moved into the area. On February 21 news came that the Sawbwa had stockaded himself at Kyaing-Kwintaung, situated about midway between Kawlin and Wuntho and on February 22 a force under the command of Captain T.A.H. Davies attacked the stronghold and killed 50 dacoits. A similar action at Okkan on the same day crushed the rebellion.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
1891 |
|
13
|
The palace at Wuntho. 271 x 198 mm. Showing the palace at Wuntho, with British troops posed in the foreground. The palace consists of several storied tapering wooden buildings, with stone pagodas in the background.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
|
|
14
|
Street in Wuntho. 273 x 206 mm. View looking along an unsurfaced road with thatched huts on either side.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading at edges.. |
|
|
15
|
The Wuntho Sawbwa's troops surrendering arms to the British authorities at Wuntho. 276 x 195 mm. Showing groups of the Sawbwa's men seated on the ground guarded by British and Indian troops, with rifles and other weapons scattered on the ground around them. The palace can be seen in the background. After the actions at Kyaing-Kwintaung and Okkan and a few other minor engagements, the state of Wuntho was brought under direct British control and absorbed for administrative purposes in the Katha and Shwebo districts. The Sawbwa himself escaped but a general amnesty was declared to those of his followers who came in and surrendered their arms. By March 19, 1891, the financial commissioner was able to report that all rebellion had ceased and the area was being brought under direct administration.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
1891 |
|
16
|
The Bazaar, Bhamo. 259 x 204 mm. A view from the Stockade Bastion looking along the main street in Bhamo which runs parallel to the Irrawaddy. Bhamo, situated near the borders of western China was the furthest station serviced by the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition.. |
|
|
17
|
The Durbar at Wuntho presided over by General Wolseley, Burma [i.e. Myanmar]. 273 x 196 mm. Showing George Wolseley standing in the centre of a group of British soldiers and Burmese officials. On the outbreak of the Wuntho Sawbwa rebellion an expeditionary force commanded by Wolseley was organized from Mandalay, but by the time it reached the area, resistance had been largely crushed. The town of Wuntho was occupied on February 24 and Wolseley arrived two days later. This photograph was presumably taken around this date. General (Sir) George Benjamin Wolseley (1839-1921) was a brother of Viscount Wolseley and served in the Indian Mutiny, the Afghan War of 1878-88 and the Egyptian campaign of 1882 before his appointment as Brigadier General in the Burma Campaign of 1886-88. He was later Lieutenant General in command of Forces in the Punjab 1897-98 and in Madras 1898-1903.
Creator: Beato, Felix, fl 1850-1891, photographer.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
Feb. 1891 |
|
18
|
Haka Fort. 149 x 101 mm. View from the hillside above looking down on the military compound and barracks. Haka was the seat of the chiefs of Chin tribes and consisted of two villages, Kolun and Kotar. Situated in the Southern Chin Hills midway between Minkin and Yokwa, Haka was occupied during the Chin-Luchai Campaign on February 14, 1850, and became the headquarters for operations in the southern part of the Chin country.
Good condition, apart from slight fading at edges.. |
|
|
19
|
[Haka Fort]. 144 x 103 mm. View looking down on the fort at a slightly later date (than the preceding print) with more buildings erected, and a more substantial earthworks surrounding the compound.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
|
|
20
|
Chin House. 153 x 108 mm. Showing an open-ended Chin house, with the thatched roof supported by a thick carved pole connected to a cross-piece.
Good condition.. |
|
|
21
|
Chin House. 149 x 111 mm. A closer view (than the preceding print) of the entrance to the house, showing more detail on the carved supporting pole.
Good condition.. |
|
|
22
|
The late Lt. James's burial ground. 147 x 108 mm. Showing two wooden crosses mounted on cairns with the following inscriptions carved in blocks of wood beneath: 'Lieut. P.A. James R.E. killed in action at Thetta 2nd Jan 1891. C.H.P. Wetherall A.S.P. [Assistant Superintendent of Police] shot near . Yokwa 21st Decr. 1890'. Wetherall was killed by the Thetta Baungshes in December and James was killed while a member of a force of 140 soldiers sent out to punish the village. See (Scott 1900, volume 1, part 1, page 443) and (Crosthwaite 1968, page 333).
Fair condition.. |
|
|
23
|
Kotar village - part of Haka. 151 x 109 mm. View looking over the Chin village built on a scrub covered hillside.
Fair condition, some fading and yellowing.. |
|
|
24
|
Kan. 148 x 102 mm. A view looking across the Myittha River towards the houses of the village of Kan in the Chin hills. A footbridge crosses the river at the left of the print.
Fair condition, some fading and yellowing.. |
|
|
25
|
A Shan village. 154 x 109 mm. General view of a settlement of thatched houses in a clearing in dense jungle.
Fair condition, some fading.. |
|
|
26
|
Chin burial grounds. 152 x 107 mm. Showing groups of the characteristic carved wooden headstones, with a Chin man standing in the foreground: 'The memorial erected in the North to departed Chiefs consists of a thick plank of hard wood with ordinarily the head of a man carved on the top, with a spike protruding from the skull. The head represents the deceased, and on the plank are carved men, women, children, animals of all sorts, gongs, beads, guns and so on ... The carving is rough and none are likely now to be erected, for the Chins say they are no longer allowed to take heads of capture slaves, and therefore the life of Chiefs is no longer worth perpetuating in memorials.' (Scott 1900, volume 1, part 1, page 472). The memorials seen here roughly correspond to this description although the carving appears far more abstract and the planks have two spikes protruding from the top.
Good condition, apart from slight fading along top edge.. |
|
|
27
|
Taungtek Camp (Chin Expedition). 150 x 104 mm. View looking down on a line of thatched barrack huts, protected by trenches and low earthworks, situated on a hillside. Situated about 15 miles NW of Kan, Taungtek was the location of a Yokwa defeat on December 28, 1889, during the Chin-Lushai Expedition.
Good condition, apart from slight fading at edges.. |
|
|
28
|
Kachin house. 146 x 106 mm. General view of a Kachin house, similar in construction to the Chin house seen in plates 20-21.
Fair condition, some fading.. |
|
|
29
|
Kalewa (Chindwin). 150 x 111 mm. A view looking across the Chindwin riverbank towards houses in European style, with the towers of pagodas visible in the background. With wooden dugouts in the foreground. Kalewa is situated near the junction of the Myittha and Chindwin Rivers and was for a period the headquarters of the Chin Hills Military Command.
Good condition.. |
|
|
30
|
[Tennis match, ?Fort Haka]. 150 x 105 mm. Showing a group of military officers playing tennis, probably at Fort Haka.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
|
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31
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[European group, ?Fort Haka]. 152 x 103 mm. A slightly out of focus group portrait of Europeans, probably taken at Fort Haka on the same occasion as the preceding print.
Fair condition, slight fading.. |
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32
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The Wuntho Sawbwa's wife and family. 176 x 140 mm. Showing the wife of the Wuntho Sawbwa, seated on the ground with family and attendants grouped in a semi-circle around her.
Good condition, apart from slight fading.. |
|
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33
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Chin chief. 102 x 147 mm. Full length portrait of a Chin chief armed with a rifle.
Poor condition, fading and yellowing.. |
|
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34
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Chin warriors. 108 x 150 mm. Portrait of three Chin warriors squatting in long grass.
Good condition.. |
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35
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Chin chiefs. 92 x 149 mm. Full length portrait of two Chin chiefs.
Poor condition, fading and yellowing.. |
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