A series of photographs stored in Harvard University’s Peabody Museum Collections provides rare, fleeting insights into everyday life on the expansive Kazakh steppe. Captured in 1927—nearly a century ago—these images offer a vivid portrayal of Kazakh life during the early 1900s.
The photos were taken by American orientalist and writer Owen Lattimore during his travels to the Ili region, now part of China’s Xinjiang province. O.Lattimore (1900–1989) was a respected expert on China and Central Asia, with a particular focus on Mongolia.
Portrait of Owen Lattimore
Credit Edmund Archive
In the 1930s, he served as editor of Pacific Affairs, a journal issued by the Institute of Pacific Relations. He also played a prominent role in shaping U.S. public opinion on Asian policy during World War II. These photographs—highlighting the lives of Kazakhs who caught the eye of such a distinguished academic—are truly compelling to explore.
Credit Peabody Museum
The first photograph taken by the O. Lattimore shows a row of Kazakhs seated in front of a yurt. In the caption, the author notes: “ Group in front of chief's yurt, Alban Kazaks, 1927, near Kulja.” From the scene, it seems the photo was taken during a special occasion—perhaps a feast or community event at the village leader’s home. The people are dressed in their best attire, and riding horses are tethered on either side of the yurt.
An old photograph vividly revives the world of a past era and the people who lived in it. The image offers a glimpse into the traditional dress and social lifestyle of Kazakhs a hundred years ago. Gathered in a group, the villagers are seen wearing a variety of traditional Kazakh headwear and light outer garments called shapan in Kazakh.
Credit Peabody Museum
The second photo depicts a touching scene in which Kazakh women are seen offering a drink to Owen Lattimore. This gesture beautifully illustrates the Kazakh custom of welcoming distant travelers with hospitality. In the frame, an older woman is preoccupied with her spindle, absorbed in her task. Nearby, two younger women appear to be speaking to each other—perhaps unsure of how to communicate with the foreign guest. The American explorer, with his packhorse in tow, seems deep in thought as he prepares to move on. It’s heartening to see that this glimpse of Kazakh women in their traditional kimeshek and shylauysh attire has been captured and preserved from a hundred years ago.
Nomadic life of Kazakhs, Owen Lattimore, 1927
Credit Peabody Museum
Milch mares of Alban Kazaks, probably milking mares for making Kuzmiz
Owen Lattimore, 1927
Credit Peabody Museum
The next set of photographs offers an authentic glimpse into the everyday life of nomadic Kazakhs. They show herders either on their way to or returning from summer pastures, with oxen burdened with supplies—an enduring image of the traditional pastoral way of life. It’s clear that American scholar Owen Lattimore sought to capture the genuine essence of Kazakh existence.
In one striking photo, horses roam freely across a wide alpine meadow as herders tend to them. These noble animals—revered in Kazakh culture as “a man’s wings”—are depicted in a moment of calm and ease. Lattimore appears to have recognized that livestock, especially horses, symbolized the wealth and pride of a herder. The image evokes the fresh mountain air and the peaceful, unhurried pace of life on the open steppe.
Credit Peabody Museum
Another photo mirrors this tranquility: a man and a woman—likely a couple—stand on opposite sides of a yurt, their gaze directed into the distance, as if silently observing something just beyond view.
Kazakh girls, O. Lattimore, 1927.
Credit Peabody Museum
Kazakhs of a mountain village, O. Lattimore, 1927.
Credit Peabody Museum
In one way or another, these century-old photographs of Kazakhs— lifelong stored in the archives of U.S.—are invaluable to our modern society. It’s possible that among the images we share, someone may spot a familiar face, perhaps that of a grandparent or distant kin. At its core, our mission is to affirm that the heart of scholarly work lies in discovery. The portraits of Kazakhs captured in these timeworn images and yellowed documents continue to resonate with meaning for future generations. These archival discoveries also reveal a deeper, more enduring connection between the American and Kazakh peoples than we may have previously realized.
By Duisenali Alimakyn
