The earliest known footage of Tibet. It was shot by Captain John Noel in 1922 during the first attempt to reach the top of Mount Everest.

He filmed a scene at a monastery on the way to Everest where the climbers seek a blessing from the monks. They are treated as honoured guests and shown ritual dances telling stories of reincarnation.

Around the dancers’ waists are aprons made from a lattice of human bone; their face masks are made from stretched human skin.

The film comes from the archive of the Royal Geographical Society, which sponsored a series of remarkable expeditions in the early 20th Century.