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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 9h

McLaughlin’s Japanese cards were based on photographic imagery associated with Yokohama’s souvenir-photo trade. The original photograph was likely taken by Kusakabe Kimbei or Tamamura Kōzaburō, two of the most successful Japanese studios of the late 19th century. #buddhasinthewest

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 9h

Although captioned “Japanese Gentleman,” the portrait shows a Japanese Buddhist cleric. His layered vestments include a kesa, the outer Buddhist robe, patterned with circular crests and secured with a traditional circular clasp. The figure's identity remains unknown. #袈裟

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 9h

Victorian trade cards quickly became collectibles, carefully arranged and pasted into scrapbooks. McLaughlin’s announced the opportunity to collect these images on the back of their cards: “A Beautiful Picture Card in every Package.”

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 9h

In 1892, McLaughlin’s XXXX Coffee issued a set of 16 large-format cards featuring Japanese imagery. Multicolor lithography helped turn photographic images into vivid advertisements, bringing scenes of Japan into American homes with every purchase.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 9h

A year before Buddhist monks from Japan and Sri Lanka gathered at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair, photographs of Buddhist practitioners were already circulating in America—sometimes in surprising places, like packages of roasted coffee beans. 🧵 🗃️ #Japan

A close-up, printed portrait of a Japanese Buddhist priest. The person has shaved head, prominent eyebrows, and a serious, contemplative expression while looking toward the left side of the image. The image is mostly comprised of muted brown, gray, and cream tones against a plain background.

A vintage color advertisement framed by a white border. The central portrait shows a bald man (A Japanese Buddhist priest) in three-quarter view, looking toward the left, wearing a dark formal robe with a large kesa over-robe with round gold-colored decorative emblems. A red-and-black hand fan partially visible along the lower left edge. The muted gray-green background has a grainy, aged print texture. Promotional text appears across the top, and a caption identifying the subject appears along the bottom.

Transcribed Text:

16 DESIGNS IN THIS SET.

DRINK
McLAUGHLIN’S XXXX
COFFEE

COPYRIGHT.

JAPANESE GENTLEMAN PHOTOGRAPHED FROM LIFE

DONALDSON BROTHERS N.Y.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

As film scholar Yiman Wang observes, the Art Deco aesthetic “decontextualizes icons and objects and repackages them for decorative purposes.” For more on this Art Deco idiom, see Wang’s “The Art of Screen Passing: Anna May Wong’s Yellow Yellowface Performance” (2005). #buddhasinthewest

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

The ersatz altar features candleholders but omits other common Buddhist ritual elements, such as an incense burner and offerings. The chaise longue, which figures in the film’s final scenes, evokes a private boudoir more than a ritual space.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

This set reference photograph reveals how the interior was composed, with a multiple-armed statue presiding in the background. The statue establishes the scene’s visual identity—not as a historically grounded Buddhist space, but as cinematic mise-en-scène.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Film reviewers were often more impressed by the lavish sets than by the story, highlighting secret panels, dragon screens, and other Orientalist décor befitting Fu Manchu’s lair. Buddhist statues seem to become characters in their own right, functioning as visual doubles for the film’s stars.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

In Anna May Wong’s Daughter of the Dragon (1931), Buddhist statuary does more than decorate the set. In Paramount’s Fu Manchu films, these sacred icons help create a world of Art Deco glamour and Orientalist fantasy, becoming part of Hollywood’s carefully staged spectacle. 🧵 🗃️ #filmsky

An intricately carved or cast multi-armed figure sits on a lotus pedestal atop a wood table altar. The figure wears a tall crown and extends numerous arms symmetrically outward, with several hands raised and others holding small objects. Behind it are vertical carved panels with floral and geometric motifs, flanked by decorative vessel-like forms. The statue and surrounding reliefs are predominantly white and gray against a dark brown background. In the foreground, a dark carved chaise lounge with curled ends partially obscures the lower portion of the shrine, while patterned dark fabric and a light-colored cloth appear along the bottom edge.

A sepia-toned photograph of an ornate theatrical interior, framed by a wide white border. The room contains dark paneled walls, patterned wallpaper covered with small decorative symbols and characters, carved furniture, and a glossy dark floor. At center-right, a raised platform or altar holds a multi-armed seated statue beneath a wall niche. In front of it is a richly decorated black chaise longue with a light-colored covering. Matching ornate chairs stand on either side. A large patterned column appears on the left, and a suspended box-like stage light hangs above the center. A small production slate rests on the floor near the foreground center.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

The Johnston & Hoffmann firm was founded in 1882. An early version of the “Lama Beggar” photograph appears in an album compiled by the French Geographical Society in 1890, providing an early date for its circulation. View the photograph here: tinyurl.com/yxnws9zp #buddhasinthewest

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

This setting helped connect the image to a place already marketed to colonial visitors as a gateway to the Himalayan world. Images of Tibetan lamas adorned with ritual objects catered to the voyeuristic interests of colonial-era photography—and postcard buyers.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

This postcard was issued by D. Marcopolo, a publisher and tobacco seller based in Kolkata, then the capital of British India. The photograph, however, was taken in Darjeeling, the British hill station known for its Tibetan Buddhist population.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

The same photograph, likely reproduced without authorization, appeared on postcards issued by different studios across India during the early decades of the 20th century. The Johnston & Hoffmann imprint remains barely visible on this card—a fine detail often lost in reprints by other publishers.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

The photograph presents a staged ethnographic “type,” a figure identified by the caption as a Buddhist lama and mendicant. He holds a double-sided frame drum in one hand and a trumpet made from a human thigh bone in the other.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

A century ago, this image of a “Lama Beggar” circulated widely on postcards across British India. The photograph’s original source remained unidentified, but it can now be attributed to Johnston & Hoffmann, one of colonial India’s most important photographic studios. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Tibet

A monochrome, highly textured image depicts a figure wearing a patterned cap, layered clothing, and several beaded or garland-like strands around the neck. One hand holds a long, curved horn to the mouth. On the left, the figure holds a large round drum. The image has muted gray, black, and off-white tones, strong shadowing, and an indistinct, rough-textured background that looks like foliage.

A black-and-white photograph shows a person standing barefoot among tall grasses and dense vegetation. The person wears a dark brimmed hat, layered robe-like clothing, necklaces, and a belt pouch. They hold a large round object on a short handle in one hand and raise a small, trumpet-like wind instrument to their mouth with the other. A light border surrounds the photograph, and a caption appears along the bottom.

Transcribed Text:

DARJEELING. LAMA BEGGAR.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

Stereoviews use two nearly identical photographs taken from slightly different angles, mimicking the perspective of our left and right eyes. Viewed through a stereoscope, the images merge into one, creating an illusion of 3D space. Or, we can digitally turn a stereoview into a "wigglegram." 😁👇

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Ponting's photograph preserves a glimpse of Japan’s diverse rural religious life at the turn of the 20th century—details lost in its generic caption. For more images of dōsojin, see Michael Czaja's Gods of Myth and Stone (1974), viewable here: tinyurl.com/yk2xa6sd #buddhasinthewest

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The pair of carved figures might be a second roadside shrine depicting the guardians of village boundaries and crossroads known as dōsojin. Dōsojin are often represented as a human couple and thus are also closely related to fertility and the growth of crops. #道祖神

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The stone inscription reads, "Kōshin offerings tower," pointing to the Daoist-informed Japanese folk religion of kōshin, prominent among villagers through the Edo period. Believers regularly held all-night vigils to prevent illness and lengthen one's life, and hoped to ensure a bountiful harvest.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

In 1902, Graves issued a boxed set of 200 Japan stereoviews made from Ponting’s photographs; more than 30 depicted religious icons and rituals. Unfortunately, View 59’s generic caption tells us little about the beliefs behind this scene.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

In 1901, photographer Herbert Ponting toured Japan for Philadelphia publisher Carlton Graves, capturing intimate scenes of rural life and religious practice. This curious roadside shrine was sold to American viewers as a “Typical little country shrine.” 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Japan

A black-and-white photograph shows a person in a robe kneeling among rocks and looking toward a large rough stone formation with two carved figures. The person occupies the lower-left foreground, with one hand extended toward the rocks. Behind them is a shallow, dark opening framed by irregular stones, containing several pale, upright stone shapes. Dense grass and vegetation cover the background, while uneven rocks and rubble fill the lower and right portions of the image.

A vintage black-and-white stereoscopic photograph card shows two nearly identical views of a small rural shrine in Japan. In both panels, a person wearing a long robe and light-colored head covering kneels among large, irregular rocks in the foreground, facing a cluster of stone religious figures and monuments. Behind the figures is a tall, weathered stone marker with carved characters. Dense grass, shrubs, and a wooded hillside fill the background. The image is mounted on a wide, rounded rectangular gray card with decorative embossing and vertical lettering along both sides. A caption is printed beneath the photographs.

Transcribed Caption:

59 Typical little country shrine in Japan.
Copyright 1902 by C. H. Graves.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The Sampan Pagoda should not, however, be confused with Myanmar’s better-known Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, located in the adjacent Mon State. These two pagodas were reportedly the only ones in Myanmar built atop balancing rocks. #buddhasinthewest

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

According to one account, the pagoda was built by a wealthy Burmese merchant who made his fortune in the timber trade. The solid brick structure stood about 12 feet high and was crowned by the characteristic Burmese hti, or umbrella spire.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

This vibrant postcard was published by the Rangoon-based D. A. Ahuja, using a lithographic-halftone hybrid process. Issued after 1902, the caption on the front places the pagoda in Shwegyin, in the Bago Region, not far from the Sittaung River, which was used to float timber to the bay.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The pagoda takes its name from the rock beneath it, which was said to resemble a sampan, the small boats traditionally used in Burma and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. If a pilgrim successfully rocked the structure, so it was claimed, their “prayers” would be answered.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Early 20th century travelers reported seeing a Burmese pagoda that appeared to rock in the wind. The Sampan Pagoda stood atop a huge boulder in eastern Myanmar, but it seemingly no longer survives, leaving a few photographs as the last evidence of its existence. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #Myanmar

A textured halfton-lithographic image shows a tall, tiered golden stupa or shrine rising from a large, dark, weathered rock. The structure is centered and tapers upward into a narrow spire that extends beyond the top edge of the image. Its broad lower tiers have curved, horizontal bands in gold, olive, and dark brown. The rock has an irregular, rounded shape with mottled gray, brown, and black surfaces and rests on a darker base. Behind it is a bright turquoise-blue sky with wispy white clouds and a pale peach-colored horizon. The image has a grainy, painterly texture.

A vintage color postcard shows a tall, gold-colored pagoda standing on a large, dark, rounded rock formation. The pagoda has a tiered, conical spire with ornate bands and a pointed finial. A single person stands among pale rocks in the lower-left foreground, providing a sense of scale. Behind the formation, hazy mountains extend across the horizon beneath a bright blue sky with thin white clouds. The image has worn edges and a faded, textured appearance. A white caption strip along the bottom identifies the site.

Transcribed Text:

The Sampan Pagoda — Shwegyen.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

To see a survey of the kinds of icons enshrined in early Chinese American temples, including Buddhist figures, see the “Map of Temples in San Francisco’s Chinatown: 1850s–1906,” viewable here: tinyurl.com/ykyaas2d #buddhasinthewest

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Chinese immigrants did not necessarily establish temples to enshrine Buddhist icons. Shrine halls were often managed by various social organizations—district associations, clan associations, fraternities, and guilds—each of which could have its own patron deity or other revered figures.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The original photograph was taken in 1887 by San Francisco-based photographer Isaiah West Taber. In the early 1900s, this image was licensed by two popular San Francisco-based postcard publishers, Edward H. Mitchell and Charles Weidner, the latter seen here.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The Lung Kong Association served four Chinese immigrant surname groups that came to America—Liu 劉, Guan 關, Zhang 張, and Zhao 趙. Each family was connected to legendary heroes of the Three Kingdoms period, symbolized by the five enshrined icons: Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Zhuge Liang.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

This late-19th-century image shows five religious icons from a San Francisco “joss house,” a rare interior photograph of a building lost in the 1906 earthquake. Despite the postcard’s generic caption, we can now identify this as the main altar of the Lung Kong temple. 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #SanFrancisco

A richly colored postcard depicts five bearded figures in ornate traditional Chinese-style robes and elaborate headdresses, arranged in front of a shrine-like interior. The central figure stands elevated behind a pale carved altar or pedestal and wears a tall floral headdress, a dark outer robe, and a light blue patterned garment. Two figures stand or sit on either side of him, while two additional figures are partially cropped at the far left and right edges. The figures have long black beards, colorful embroidered clothing, and decorative headpieces adorned with flowers and foliage. Dark leafy plants and floral arrangements fill the background against vertically paneled gray walls. Several reddish-brown wooden platforms and pale plaques with dark writing appear along the bottom of the image.

A colorized postcard shows the interior of a Joss temple in San Francisco. Five elaborately dressed, bearded figures sit in a row on an ornate altar or platform, with one figure elevated at the center and four seated lower on either side. Their robes are predominantly pale blue and white with dark, patterned details, and several figures wear tall headpieces. Floral arrangements, decorative objects, carved woodwork, framed panels, and dark wooden furniture surround the figures. The postcard has a white border with red lettering.

Transcribed Text:

San Francisco,
California.

35

Charles S. Weidner, Photographer, San Francisco.

Five Idols in the Holy of Holies. Joss Temple.

Smashed and reduced to ashes by earthquake and fire Apr. 18, 1906.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

After the decline of the professional photography studios, the statues found a new life in photographic form as souvenir postcards, carrying the extraordinary interior of Sanjūsangen-dō to audiences around the world.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Each intricate Kannon statue—now more than 800 years old—is carved from Japanese cypress and covered in gold leaf, details brought to life in the hand-colored photograph. French novelist Pierre Loti visited Sanjūsangen-dō in 1885, describing it as “the astonishment of astonishments.”

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Drawing on the skills of craftsmen trained in woodblock-print workshops, photography studios also produced hand-tinted versions of their photographic prints. This pair, likely made in the 1890s, has not yet been associated with a particular photographer or studio.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Built in the 12th century, Sanjūsangen-dō houses rows of Kannon images along the length of its 120-meter-long main hall. Around the 1880s, Japanese photography studios began offering views of the interior, emphasizing the ordered ranks of multi-armed Kannon figures fading into the distance.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

By the late 17th century, Europeans already knew of Kyoto’s Sanjūsangen-dō, but photography opened its extraordinary collection of Buddhist figures to a much broader audience. It was an almost unimaginable religious spectacle: a thousand gilded figures gathered together in a single space. 📜 🗃️ #Japan

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The Hyōgo Daibutsu was dismantled under the Ordinance on the Collection of Metals issued as part of Japanese war efforts during WWII. To view a pre-war Japanese map of Kobe advertising the Hyōgo Daibutsu as a local landmark, visit here: tinyurl.com/2uwv2dhv #buddhasinthewest

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Closer inspection of the photograph reveals an additional statue, perhaps of Jizō Bodhisattva (and a group of children elsewhere). When applying the wash for the sky, the hand colorist likely used a stencil blocking out the buildings and statue, but painted over the top half of the telephone pole.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

This postcard can be dated to March 1907–March 1918 based on the design of its reverse. The anchor trademark in the stamp box is associated with the Kobe publisher Akanishi Manyūdō, which specialized in postcards depicting local sights. #赤西萬有堂

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Some Western guidebooks were unfavorable in their assessment of the colossal bronze, claiming the statue lacked “artistic merit” and was “decidedly inferior” to the Daibutsu at Kamakura. The religious importance of such objects was rarely noted in contemporary guides.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Commissioned by a local paper merchant in 1891, the Hyōgo Daibutsu at Nōfuku-ji was among the largest Buddhist statues in Japan at the time. Not far from Kobe Harbor, the icon became a favored tourist destination in the early 20th century, but it is remembered only through photographs today. 🧵 🗃️ 📜

A large gray stone statue of a seated Buddhist figure fills the center of the image. The figure has closed eyes, a calm expression, textured rows of tightly curled hair, and a draped robe with layered folds. Its hands rest together in its lap. A small, spreading tree partially overlaps the statue on the right, while flowering plants with muted red, white, and green foliage fill the foreground. Behind the statue is a softly colored sky in pale blue, pink, and beige, with sparse branches and vegetation along the edges.

A vintage color postcard shows a large seated Buddha statue beside a traditional Japanese temple complex. The gray Buddha occupies the left side of the image, with tightly patterned curls on its head, lowered eyes, and layered robes. At center and right are temple buildings with sweeping blue-gray tiled roofs, ornate roof decorations, and dark wooden structures. Pine trees, shrubs, stone lanterns, grave markers, and other stone monuments fill the foreground. A utility pole with a decorative lamp stands near the right side. The sky is pale blue with a warm pinkish tint near the horizon. Red text appears along the bottom edge.

Transcribed Text:

Nofukuji Temple Hyogo.

兵庫能福寺大佛

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The icon's three visible heads, beard, and tall headpiece suggests the original image may have been the deity Brahma (Bonten in Japanese) wearing a crown. For more on 18th century British travel writing, see Margaret Hunt's "Racism, Imperialism, and the Traveler's Gaze" (1993). #buddhasinthewest

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Kircher's "Amitabha" was originally labelled as a "Japanese deity" and was likely copied from a drawing or image in the Jesuit archives in Rome. The lower half appears to be a poor rendition of a figure seated cross-legged on an open lotus flower. 5/6

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The other half of the composition, reputedly depicting Confucius, was likewise copied from Picart. Both images have an even older history and were first used by the Jesuit scholar Athanasius Kircher in the 1650s; the image of Confucius was labelled simply as an "Indian deity." 4/6

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Publisher Alex Hogg did not commission illustrations based on the Macartney Embassy reports, however, but reused imagery from previously published works. This icon, reputedly of Amitabha Buddha, was copied directly from Bernard Picart's Ceremonies and Religious Customs of the World from 1728. 3/6

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

William Henry Portlock’s A New Collection of Voyages and Travels was published in London in 1794. It included accounts of the Macartney Embassy, the first British diplomatic mission to China, undertaken in 1793. 2/6

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

In the late 18th century, British imperial expansion fueled an appetite for accounts of distant lands and cross-cultural encounters. Readers eagerly consumed vivid travel narratives, often illustrated with engravings of religious “exoticism.” 🧵 🗃️ 📜 #China

A black-and-white engraved illustration shows a large, bearded humanoid figure seated or standing in the center, surrounded by numerous much smaller people. The figure wears a tall, pointed cap, a broad layered garment decorated with rows of circular trim, and a sunburst-like hem at the bottom. Its face has prominent eyes, a long nose, a mustache, and a full beard. Several curving, handwritten-looking marks appear on the figure’s lower garment. Crowds of robed or formally dressed people fill the sloping terrain on both sides and gather around the figure’s base. Draped fabric or a canopy extends across the upper background, while heavily crosshatched lines create texture throughout the scene.

A black-and-white engraved print presents two religious scenes within an ornate rectangular border. A heading appears above the scenes, and explanatory captions are printed below.

In the left panel, a large multi-armed figure identified in the caption as Amida stands on a pedestal. The figure wears a tall pointed headdress, layered robes, necklaces, and a large circular ornament around the lower body. Numerous small worshippers kneel or stand in rows around the figure. Draped fabric hangs overhead, and a large blank rectangular panel and smoking vessels appear near the bottom.

In the right panel, a seated figure identified as Confucius appears on a raised platform, surrounded by several robed attendants or worshippers. The central figure wears a tall, patterned headdress and a sash marked with characters. Hanging panels with vertical inscriptions and small suspended objects fill the background. Several people gather on the stepped platform below, with tall incense burners emitting smoke.

Transcribed Text:

Engraved for PORTLOCK'S. New COLLECTION of VOYAGES & TRAVELS.

One of the forms in which AMIDA is worshipped
by the people of JAPAN and TARTARY.

The Image of CONFUTIUS with the SUTANGS,
as exhibited in the College of the CHINESE.

Published by Alexr Hogg. May 10. 1794.

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Digital archive contains over 150 micro-studies on objects created between 1666 and 1952. Visit the main project page here: buddhasinthewest.com

Text says: 150+
archived micro-studies
on Buddhist imagery
17th c. engravings
19th c. photography
Victorian trade cards
Lantern slides
Early Postcards
& more

Text says: Western knowledge of
Buddhism was not
produced through
texts alone.
It was also produced
by the reproduction,
commercialization, and
reinterpretation of
Buddhist images and
obiects.

Text Says: Buddhas in the West Material Archive

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Buddhas in the West Material Archive @buddhasinthewest.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

🌟 Series 5 returning Monday, Sep. 28th. 🌟 24 new objects exploring the circulation of Buddhist material culture, to be published through end of November.

Image shows frame filled with multiple engravings, photographs, postcards, stereoviews - and a box of incense - all bearing images of Buddhist material culture.

This is overwritten by "Series 5," "Returning Mon, Sep. 28," and "Buddhas in the West."

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