Felice Beato Yokohama silver exchange. From 1884 to 1885 Beato was the official photographer of the expeditionary forces led by Baron (later Viscount) G.J. Wolseley to Khartoum, Sudan, in relief of General Charles Gordon. Briefly back in England in 1886, Beato lectured the London and Provincial Photographic Society on photographic techniques. He arrived in Burma probably in December 1886, after Upper Burma had been annexed by the British in late 1885. Much publicity had been made in the British press about the three Anglo-Burmese Wars, which had started in 1825 and culminated in December 1885 with the fall of Mandalay and the
Khartoum (; ') to the west. The city is the capital of the state of Khartoum. The origin of the word, "Khartoum", is uncertain. One theory argues that "khartoum" is derived from Arabic "khurṭūm" ( '), probably referring to the narrow strip of land extending between the Blue and White Niles. Dinka scholars argue that the name derives from the Dinka words "Khar-tuom" (Dinka-Bor dialect) or "Khier-tuom" as is the pronunciation in various Dinka Diaelects. These translate to a "place where rivers meet". This is supported by historical accounts which place the Dinka homeland in central Sudan (around present-day Khartoum) as