The Lamasery

The "Lamasery" was the residence of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott situated at 302 West 47th Street in New York. Since June 1876 till December 1878 (when the Founders moved to India) it became the unofficial headquarters of the newly formed Theosophical Society.

Descriptions of the place make it seem as if a kind of Oriental and Asian Wonderland had temporarily set up shop in one New York’s roughest neighbourhoods, hence the name. Although outside, the streets were more than likely reminiscent of the film The Gangs of New York, within it’s doors, ‘the Lamasery’ appears to have lived up to its reputation. Along with the many phenomena – astral bells, mystic scents, thought transference – that occurred within its inner sanctum, the Lamasery boasted a décor unique for it’s time and place – and perhaps for any other. Among the Eastern objet d’art and Oriental furnishings that cluttered the atmospheric flat, was Blavatsky’s famous stuffed baboon, whom she dressed in academic garb and arranged holding a mass of lecture notes, in honour, he said, of Darwin’s devotees.

The Lamasery, as of August 10, 2013

The Hartford Daily Times from Connecticut published an article (December 2, 1878, p. 1) that briefly described the "Lamasery":

We had a chance to observe the walls and furniture of this New York Lamasery. Directly in the centre stood a stuffed ape, with a white "dickey" and necktie around his throat, manuscript in paw, and spectacles on nose. Could it be a mute satire on the clergy? Over the door was the stuffed head of a lioness, with open jaws and threatening aspect; the eyes glaring with an almost natural ferocity. A god in gold occupied the centre of the mantle-piece; Chinese and Japanese cabinets, fans, pipes, implements and rugs, low divans and couches, a large desk, a mechanical bird who sang as mechanically, albums, scrap-books, and the inevitable cigarette holders, papers and ash-pots, made the loose rich robe in which madame was appareled seem in perfect harmony with her surroundings.

A reporter of the New York Star published on December 8, 1878, the following description:

Perhaps one of the most remarkable things in all the collection of unique prizes is one, which has no claim to be considered magical. It is a mural ornament, so elaborately beautiful and yet so simple, that it seems strange that it is not fashionable. On one of the walls of the dining room of the now famous flat is the representation of a tropical scene, in which appear an elephant, a tiger, a huge serpent, a fallen tree, monkeys, birds and butterflies, and two or three sheets of water. It is neither painted nor drawn, but the design was first cut out in paper and then autumn leaves of various hues were pasted on, while the water was represented by small pieces of broken mirror. The effect is remarkably beautiful, but the winner of the prize will probably need magical art to remove it in good condition, for it has been in its place so long that the leaves are dry and brittle.

Online resources

Articles

• HPB at the Lamasery by H.S. Olcott
• "The Lamasery at New York." Hartford Daily Times (Connecticut), December 2, 1878, p. 1. Available at Blavatsky Archives.
• "Silence in the Lamasery." The Sun (New York), December 19, 1878, p. 1. Available at Blavatsky Archives.
• "Madame Blavatsky’s Lamasery" blog entry. Adventures Beyond the Body. Soul Sailors Society. February 20, 2010. Fiction available at blog.
• "Madame Blavatsky’s Lamasery – II" blog entry. Adventures Beyond the Body. Soul Sailors Society. February 21, 2010. Fiction available at blog.