Library of Congress Features Photographs of Sikkim by Alice Kandell

Published on 12 August 2011. Washington, 12 August 2011, Art Media Agency (AMA)

The Library of Congress is hosting a series of photographs of Sikkim by Alice Kandell. Sikkim, situated north of India in the Himalayas, is one of the smallest states in the world. The photographer was immediately fascinated by these beautiful landscapes and decided to capture them on film.

She also photographed Sikkim inhabitants and their daily lives. Photography lovers can visit a website dedicated to the artist’s oeuvre, featuring 15,000 black-and-white photographs.

In 1963, the last Chogyal (former monarchs of the kingdoms of Sikkim and Ladakh), Palden Thondup Namgyal, married Hope Cooke, an American student at Sarah Lawrence College. Cooke then became the Queen of Sikkim and lived with the king and their children during the final years of the kingdom. As a result of this fairytale romance, Sikkim became well known in America through major magazines and newspapers.

Kandell, Cooke’s college friend, embarked on a project to document the Buddhist way of life in Sikkim upon the Chogyal’s request. She started to explore the country and visit mountainous villages. She also photographed official ceremonies and intimate moments of the royal family. All the pictures she took from 1965 to 1971 are exhibited at the Library of Congress.

Prince Palden Namgyal of Sikkim, who lives in New York, said: “Dr. Kandell’s collection of photographs represents a rare and valuable snapshot of an era that many young Sikkimese have very little knowledge of today. The pictures are not only beautiful but represent an important historical record of our family. More importantly, they capture the culture, tradition and daily life of a far simpler and more innocent time. We are very grateful to the Library of Congress for preserving Dr. Kandell’s collection and making it accessible to all.”

About this Collection

This selection of 300 images from the Dr. Alice S. Kandell Collection of Sikkim Photographs portrays the people and landscape of a kingdom high in the Himalaya Mountains. Sikkim, now part of India, borders on Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. Dr. Kandell captured these vivid scenes in order to document a vanishing culture. During visits between 1965 and 1979 (primarily 1965-1971), Dr. Kandell received special permission to photograph Buddhist monks and lamas, ceremonial dances, and monasteries; people working on farms, in canning factories, and at special crafts; and the royal palace and chapel at Gangtok, including the last king, Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, his American wife Queen Hope Cooke (Dr. Kandell's college friend), and their family.

Also depicted are the villages and people of Singhik and Lachung, the mountains of Kānchenjunga, the Ralang Hot Springs, and the Gangtok bazaar as well as different ethnic groups including the Kirati (Kiranti), Lepcha, Nepalese, and Bhutia people. Other photographs show the material culture, including religious paintings, ceremonial masks, jewelry and carpets. Special events feature the coronation in 1965 and the wedding of Princess Yanchen Dolma and Simon Abraham in 1979.

Dr. Alice S. Kandell dedicated her rights to the public domain when making this generous gift to the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, in 2010. The entire collection includes approximately 15,000 photographs available for research use at the Library. For more information, see Arrangement and Access.

"A Tour of the Lost Kingdom: Sikkim," a lecture by Hope Cooke and Dr. Kandell is online as a Webcast, http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4912