Portret van een onbekende, breiende Bhutia vrouw uit Tibet before 1868

This is a photograph of an unknown Bhutia woman from Tibet, knitting, made by Benjamin Simpson in the late 19th century. It is part of a bound album, suggesting it was made for circulation within a specific social context. Photography in Tibet at this time was largely the domain of outsiders, often associated with colonial or exploratory expeditions. The image presents the woman as an ethnographic subject, categorized by her ethnicity and religious affiliation. Her act of knitting, a domestic and traditionally feminine activity, might have been seen as a sign of cultural difference, or perhaps an attempt to portray her as peaceful and industrious. The format of the photograph, presented within an album, speaks to the way images were collected, categorized, and consumed in the 19th century. To understand this image more fully, we might consult travelogues, missionary records, and colonial archives. This would allow us to understand the complex power dynamics at play in the representation of Tibetan people during this period.