Portret van een boeddhistische priester uit Tibet before 1868

This is a photographic portrait of a Tibetan Buddhist priest, made by Benjamin Simpson in the 19th century. As photography developed, it offered new ways of representing people from different cultures, but these representations were often shaped by the photographer’s own cultural biases and the expectations of their audience. Simpson’s photograph was created in a colonial context. British interests in Tibet grew throughout the 19th Century, and photography played a role in documenting and categorizing the region and its people. Consider how the priest is presented: the composition is formal and ethnographic and it emphasizes his exotic otherness. Is this an accurate portrayal of an individual, or does it perpetuate stereotypes about Tibetan culture? To fully understand the image, we need to consider its historical and cultural context. Researching the photographer, the subject, and the social conditions in which the photograph was made can help us to interpret its meaning and significance. Art is always contingent on social and institutional context.