Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim's ethnographic photographs

"Dancing Kalmucks"

During and after Finland's struggle for independence Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim - the greatest Finn of all times - was Commander-in-Chief in in three wars and twice Head of State. During the heroic 105 days of the Winter War (1939-1940), when Finland fought alone against Stalin's Red Army, Mannerheim was hailed as a champion of liberty throughout the western world.

Before joining Finland's fight for independence Mannerheim was a succesful General in the Russian army (until 1917 Finland was an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian empire). The fact that he was an able sportsman and and wellknown for his excellent horsemanship must have been one of the reasons why he was chosen for the formidable task of undertaking a reconnaisance mission on horseback through Asia.

Mannerheim began his two year long expedition at Kashgar in Turkmenistan in October 1906. Accompanied by only a handful of men, he rode through areas belonging almost entirely to China. The purpose of the exhibition was to investigate the vast, mostly uninhabited mountain and desert regions, which were of strategic interest for Russia. Mannerheim's expedition also served scientific, particularly ethnographic, objectives.

"The way in which Mannerheim studied the customs, languages, ethnic traits and regional archelogy of the tribes that he encountered, collected objects and took photographs showed considerable scientific talent and ambition. The collection of objects wen to the Finno-Ugrian Society (Suomalais-ugrilainen Seura), which later published Mannerheim's detailed journal and helped him in the preparation of a description of his travels intended for the general public."

Read professor Matti Klinge's article on Mannerheim here

A map of Mannerheim's route from Samarkand to Peking

During the expedition Mannerheim took a great number of pictures, many of which show ordinary people in the remote areas he visited. Some of the (at least for me) most fascinating photos show natives dressed in clothes with very long sleeves. I have no idea about the reason for the extended sleeves - could it be that they make it easier to keep warm in a cold climate? 

(The photos are from the book "Fra Samarkand til Peking Paa Hesteryg", published in Copenhagen in 1940)