Items

• 1957 Carriers at Omei
  This color slide depicts an unidentified woman resting at the side of the path and two carriers with heavy loads walking up it.
• Mt. Omei Pilgrim in Backrack Huagar
  A wealthy pilgrim to Mt. Omei rides down the ancient stone steps in a backrack huagar carried by a boy who seems to be smaller than his rider. Two small children follow a few steps behind. Corn fields flank the steps and tall trees are in the background.
• Pilgrims Descending Mt. Omei
  The paths up and down the mountains in the Emeishan region were constantly streaming with pilgrims of all kinds from near and far within and beyond the Chinese empire. Here we see a group of at least nine men and women carrying their possessions in bags and using walking sticks to help them negotiate the tricky path through cornfields.
• Carriers on Path to Xinkaishi
  The mountain temples and pavilions on the slopes of the Emei mountains are hundreds and thousands of years old. Likewise the paths to them are well made and well worn. This image shows a caravan of carriers taking the Willmott's household and personal possessions to their summer cottage at Xinkaishi. In the background one can see lower mountains descending into small towns and fertile fields.
• Willmotts Crossing River on Plank
  Katharine ("Kay") Willmott disembarks from her huagar to cross a bubbling stream on a narrow wooden plank. The carriers are crossing with the empty huagar as Earl stands by.
• Katharine Willmott en Route to Faerymorn
  Katharine ("Kay") Willmott enjoys a ride in a two-carrier sling huagar through cornfields on a mountain path in the Emeishan region. She is followed by Margaret Joy Willmott (1922-2022) on foot and Richard Curtis Willmott (1930-2012) in a backrack huagar. The men are carrying Katharine's huagar with bamboo poles. They wear bamboo woven hats and straw sandals, said to be safest for the slippery slopes of the Emei mountains.
• Dick Willmott en Route to Faerymorn
  A three year old Richard Curtis Willmott (1930-2012) rides in a "backrack huagar" on a mountain path in the Emeishan region. His carrier wears a wide brimmed bamboo hat.
• Carrier with Load Packed for Omei
  From Emeishan City, travelers to Mt. Omei summer cottages must engage "carriers" to manually convey their belongings up the steep mountain. These men are accustomed to carrying heavy and bulky loads like this one containing bedding and food. This carrier appears to be a middle aged man wearing loose cotton clothing and straw sandals recommended for grip on the steep and slippery mountain paths. He holds a cross-stick used to rest the load during relatively frequent breaks on the trail.
• Trackers on the Min River
  This photograph, taken from the boat, shows the group of "trackers," men and boys who pull the boat up river. This group consists of half a dozen men scantily clothed pulling a thick rope that is attached to the boat (although that is not shown in the photo). The fortunate ones among them are wearing broad bamboo hats that shield them from rain and sun. The shoreline has a well-trodden path where the trackers have walked and sang all day every day for thousands of years.
• Group Portrait on Boat to Mt. Omei
  This group portrait taken on a houseboat or junk depicts three unidentified servants or boat workers with three missionaries. The man and woman on the left are unidentified, while the woman in the middle is Constance Walmsley, wife to Lewis Walmsley, and good friend and colleague of the Willmotts.
• Long Ferryboat on the Min River
  This ferryboat is a long wooden boat with an upward curving stern and large rudder at the back. The boat is just off the rocky shoreline and full of people and baggage. The Min River is smooth and wide. The opposite shore can be seen in the background, with mountaintops off in the far distance.
• Boats Loaded for Mt. Omei
  This image shows five small houseboats or junks on the bank of the Min River. They are loaded up with the Willmott family's belongings for their Mt. Omei summer vacation. There are two boys in the foreground who may be servants or boat workers.
• Donald Earl Willmott's Blue Brocade Album
  Photograph album with jacket made of blue silk brocade with gold thread and motif of auspicious signs. The pages of the interior are blue paper with photographs attached with black corner brackets. Some of the photographs have captions written in blue ink. The album is in very poor condition. The cover is fraying and coming apart at the seams. The pages have become detached and are out of order. The paper is fragile and breaks at the touch. Another almost identical album was in the possession of Richard Curtis Willmott.
• 1930s Willmott Family Mt. Omei Journeys
  This series of images depicts trips the Willmotts took from Chengdu to Faerymorn, their summer cottage in the Mt. Emei region, down the Min River and up the mountain with trunks and baskets full of their summer gear.
• Scene of Mt. Omei in the Distance, 1925
  Color tinted view of Mt. Omei in the distance. In Diary 2, Graham describes taking this photograph from Kuan Yin Bang [Guanyingzhen], 28 li south of Kiating (between Suifu and Kiating) on the Min River.
• Bronze Pagoda at Huazang Temple, Mt. Omei
  Pagoda with a base, four tiers of hexagonal panels, a cap, and a pinacle with three spheres. A lone monk stands beside the pagoda and is dwarfed by it. In the background one can see a circling path leading to nearby mountaintops. There is also a distant mountain range behind that. The caption list refers to another photograph of the same subject, but with 3 year old Margaret Graham in the photo instead of the priest.
• Main Shrine with Incence Burners, Mt. Omei
  Rather oddly framed image that shows the left half of an altar with a bowl at center and a three-footed incence burner (or ting) at left. Behind the altar platform are square panels, almost like windows. Above it is a horizontal cloth hanging with Chinese characters on it. In the left background is an elaborately carved doorway.
• David Crockett Graham at the Jinding, Mt. Omei
  Full figure profile of David Crockett Graham standing in silhouette next to a railing against the background of a blue sky. Graham wears hiking gear that includes heavy laced knee high boots, loose trousers tucked into the boots, a white shirt, and a notebook case slung across his shoulder. He gazes down towards the "Buddha's Glory" in the clouds below.
• Mummified Priest, Mt. Omei
  Human figure with black face and dressed in robes is seated in a raised alcove. It is flanked by two or more small doll-like figures, one of whom wears an imperial gown. There is also a small human face on the figure's lap. There is a sculpture in front of the figure whose name and purpose cannot be determined.
• Priest with Lotus Flower Relic
  A Buddhist priest stands next to a relic said to be a petrified lotus flower. This should not be confused with the Buddha's Tooth relic pictured in a different photograph (that is published in Religion in Szechwan). He wears light colored robe with wide sleeves and holds a set of prayer beads. He is bald and has a short beard. The relic appears to be carved with a lotus motif around the bottom. In the background is a temple doorway with Chinese characters written on the frame.
• Gilded Kuanyin at Fuhu Temple, Mt. Omei
  Gilded statue of androgynous Kuan Yin with multiple long arms. Graham estimated the height differently in several different captions; however, it is certain he was unable to take exact measurements in the temple. Kuan Yin's two pairs of arms in the front are forming mudras. The top one is the Anjali mudra, which unites the two sides of the body over the heart, bringing one into unity with the divine and, as a greeting gesture, welcomes others into divine communion. The lower one is likely the Bhairava mudra, representing harmony of body and mind, outer and inner. For the Bhairava mudra, the right hand would be placed on the left hand. This is how I received the digital version of this image; however, in its published version, it is reversed. When the left hand is placed on the right, it is called Bhairavi, and has the effect of activating consciousness and manifestation. It seems likely the standard form is correct. Kuanyin is flanked by smaller deities in red robes.
• Huayan Pagoda at Fuhu Temple, Mt. Omei
  This structure is called the Huayan Pagoda at Fuhu Si. It stands within a wooden structure with open railings. The front of the base has an opening for burning paper money. Around the sides of the base and up the column there are "a thousand buddhas" carved in rows.
• Deity with Tusks in Temple Near Mt. Omei
  A fierce-looking deity statue with a grimace expression and large protruding tusk-like teeth. He stands in a fighting posture with his right arm raised, probably holding a spear or sword not visible in photo. His left hand holds a snake and his right foot rests upon a small animal, probably a species of large cat. He wears armour and a crown-like headdress. There is an incense burner in front of him.
• Large Buddha in Temple, Mt. Omei
  A serene looking Buddha statue sits cross-legged upon a lotus flower with an arched background representing light behind him. His hands are forming a variation of the Uttarabodhi mudra of Supreme Enlightenment, the index and middle fingers pointing to the sky, respectively representing air and ether.
• 1924-1926 David Crockett Graham Mt. Omei Treks
  By 1924, DC Graham was working as a field collector for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC. The 1925 and 1926 field collecting seasons were adversely affected by the turbulant political climate in China, so Graham was not able to travel very far to make his natural science collections. He didn't let this slow him down. Instead, he collected nearby the missionaries' summer cottages at Mt. Omei (Emeishan). The images in this event series represent the beginning of Graham's systematic study of religion in Sichuan, which he would publish for the Smithsonian in 1926. However, while Graham published some of these images in his monograph, Religion in Szechwan, he didn't actually discuss them much in that publication.