English: Photograph of Shan umbrellas at Rangoon taken by Frederick Oscar Oertel in the 1870s. The umbrella or hti is used to adorn Burmese royal and religious architecture and is usually seen as an architectural element forming the pinnacle of a stupa. Htis are often made of gold decorated with precious stones and were traditionally donated by kings and queens. The pair of umbrellas in this view stand on the platform of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Burma's’s most revered Buddhist shrine. It is thought that the umbrellas are of Shan manufacture or origin. The Shan States formed most of north-eastern Burma and the Shan people are known for their silverware. The hand-written notes on the mount were made by Sir Richard Carnac Temple, who used the image to illustrate a lecture on 'Developments in Buddhist Architecture'. This image was published in George W. Bird, 'Wanderings in Burma' (London, 1897).