Joseph Francis Charles Rock (1884 – 1962) was an Austrian-American explorer, botanist, and anthropologist. For more than 25 years, he travelled extensively through Tibet and Yunnan, Gansu, and Szechuan provinces in China before finally leaving in 1949. Nearly 1200 of his historic photographs in Harvard's collection, mostly kept at Arnold Arboretum Horticultural Library and Harvard-Yenching Library, have been digitized and can be viewed online.
![Rock R (1925) China Kan su (Pei ta t ung) J F Rock with some of his Nashi assistants [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7d12096f63d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Pei-ta-t_ung)_J_F_Rock_with_some_of_his_Nashi_assistants_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Pei-ta-t_ung)_J_F_Rock_with_some_of_his_Nashi_assistants_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1926) China Kan su (Min Shan Range) Backbone of the Min Shan [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7dbc1b3263d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1926)_China_Kan-su_(Min_Shan_Range)_Backbone_of_the_Min_Shan_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1926)_China_Kan-su_(Min_Shan_Range)_Backbone_of_the_Min_Shan_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1925) China Kan su (Koang kei Shan) Looking into Tebbu land [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7cbc4dff63d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Koang-kei_Shan)_Looking_into_Tebbu_land_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Koang-kei_Shan)_Looking_into_Tebbu_land_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1926) Paraquilegia anemonoides (Willd) Ulbrick Tibet [Title from Diary] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7de8a9d763d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1926)_Paraquilegia_anemonoides_(Willd)_Ulbrick_Tibet_[Title_from_Diary].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1926)_Paraquilegia_anemonoides_(Willd)_Ulbrick_Tibet_[Title_from_Diary].jpg")
![Rock R (1926) Populus simonii Carriere China Kan su (Cho ni) [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7dfb422063d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1926)_Populus_simonii_Carriere_China_Kan-su_(Cho-ni)_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1926)_Populus_simonii_Carriere_China_Kan-su_(Cho-ni)_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1925) China Kan su (Tangar) Camels loaded with wool [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7d4df04763d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Tangar)_Camels_loaded_with_wool_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Tangar)_Camels_loaded_with_wool_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1925) China Kan su (Shi men) The great shi men or rock gate [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7d2de18463d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Shi-men)_The_great_shi-men_or_rock_gate_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Shi-men)_The_great_shi-men_or_rock_gate_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1925)Picea asperata China Kan su (K[u]o mang Ssu) [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7d9f5b0a63d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1925)Picea_asperata_China_Kan-su_(K[u]o-mang_Ssu)_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1925)Picea_asperata_China_Kan-su_(K[u]o-mang_Ssu)_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1926) Tibet (Radja) Radja Gomba (lamasery) [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7e27f55163d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1926)_Tibet_(Radja)_Radja_Gomba_(lamasery)_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1926)_Tibet_(Radja)_Radja_Gomba_(lamasery)_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1926) Tibet (Radja) Looking down the Hwang Ho [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7e1311f063d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1926)_Tibet_(Radja)_Looking_down_the_Hwang_Ho_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1926)_Tibet_(Radja)_Looking_down_the_Hwang_Ho_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1925) Picea asperata China Kan su (K[u]o mang Ssu) [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7d686ded63d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1925)_Picea_asperata_China_Kan-su_(K[u]o-mang_Ssu)_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1925)_Picea_asperata_China_Kan-su_(K[u]o-mang_Ssu)_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1925) Tibet (Koko Nor) On the south shore of Koko Nor [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7d8562f063d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1925)_Tibet_(Koko_Nor)_On_the_south_shore_of_Koko_Nor_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1925)_Tibet_(Koko_Nor)_On_the_south_shore_of_Koko_Nor_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1926) China Kan su (Tsare kika) Dawn on the summit of Tsare kika [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7dd4e00b63d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1926)_China_Kan-su_(Tsare_kika)_Dawn_on_the_summit_of_Tsare_kika_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1926)_China_Kan-su_(Tsare_kika)_Dawn_on_the_summit_of_Tsare_kika_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1925) China Kan su (Koang kei Shan) View from the Koang kei Shan [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7cd8743563d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Koang-kei_Shan)_View_from_the_Koang-kei_Shan_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Koang-kei_Shan)_View_from_the_Koang-kei_Shan_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")
![Rock R (1925) China Kan su (Lan chow) Looking across the governor s palace [Title from recto of photo mount] - Joseph F. C. Rock | - Joseph F. C. Rock](/img/7cf9345663d411f09bbb52540000cfbe/Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Lan-chow)_Looking_across_the_governor_s_palace_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg "Enlarge Rock_R_(1925)_China_Kan-su_(Lan-chow)_Looking_across_the_governor_s_palace_[Title_from_recto_of_photo_mount].jpg")