Rangoon: Signal Pagoda
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.When sailing up the Irrawadi River toward Rangoon, the first thing visitors saw was the spire of this pagoda, high on a hill above the town. The British outfitted it as a signal station to allow naval captains to reset their chronometers with the precision needed for accurate navigation. The British regarded the signal station as evidence of their civilizing influence on Rangoon, but to the Burmese it marked the desecration of a sacred site.
Artwork Details
- Title: Rangoon: Signal Pagoda
- Artist: Linnaeus Tripe (British, Devonport (Plymouth Dock) 1822–1902 Devonport)
- Date: November 1855
- Dimensions: image: 26 × 34.6 cm (10 1/4 × 13 5/8 in.)
mount: 45.6 × 58.3 cm (17 15/16 × 22 15/16 in.)
mat: 50.8 × 61 cm (20 × 24 in.) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Private Collection, Courtesy Hans P. Kraus Jr.
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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