Ulaanbaatar
Early 20th-Century Mongolian History and Culture Through the Lens of a French Photographer
Art & Culture
Ulaanbaatar, August 4, 2025 /MONTSAME/. The exhibition “Mongols from 1912 to 1913 through the Lens of a French Photographer” is on display at the Red Ger Gallery in Ulaanbaatar.
The exhibition, organized by the Embassy of the French Republic in Mongolia, presents Mongolian history and culture.
The renowned French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn initiated a vast photography project titled “The Archives of the Planet,” aimed at capturing traditional cultures and societal images of the world, sending photographers to over 60 countries between 1909 and 1931. Within the framework of the project, photographer Stéphane Passet arrived in Mongolia and captured the country’s societal state, lifestyle, culture, and traditions through his lens in 1912-1913.
Traveling in Mongolia during that era, right before the Khalkha Mongols’ revolt, shortly after the Qing Dynasty’s fall, when it was referred to as “a country with no roads,” was considered dangerous and challenging. The photographer first crossed the Chinese, then the Russian border, to finally enter Mongolia.
The photographs showcased in the exhibition are rare historical records, documenting the lives of Mongols during the pre-revolutionary times at the outset of the past century, which brought drastic change to the country.
The exhibition presents photographs such as “Mongol Family,” “High-Level Official of Niislel Khuree (Capital City),” “Prisoners,” and “Khalkha Wife,” unraveling the political turmoil, colorful landscapes, nomadic lifestyle, widespread religion, clothing style, and traditions of Mongolia at that time. The original copies of the photographs are preserved at the Albert-Kahn Museum of the French Republic.
The exhibition is on display until August 5, 2025.
