Exhibition showcases Emily Eden's portraits of princes, people of 19th-century India

New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) In 1837, writer and artist Emily Eden accompanied her brother, George Eden, the then governor-general of India, on his long journey from Calcutta to Lahore. While the expedition held considerable political significance, it is remembered as much for the young painter's vivid and meticulous visual record of 19th-century India. Through her portraits of domestic servants, Afghan and Sikh nobles, princes of different courts, and the first maharaja of the Sikh Empire Ranjit Singh, Eden documented the country from its eastern shores to north-western frontiers. Over two dozen of sketches that were later engraved as lithographs and published as “Portraits of the Princes and People of India” in 1844 are part of “Princes & People of India: Portraits by Emily Eden” exhibition at DAG here along with the Eden Family Archives and a rare collection of Lahore Company School paintings. Curated by art historian and author Mary Ann Prior, the exhibition brings together Eden's published works, personal archives and related material from Punjab, offering a richer understanding of both the artist and the world she documented. "Emily Eden occupies a unique position in the visual history of 19th-century India. Her portraits are remarkable not only for their artistic accomplishment but also for the breadth of people she chose to represent – from rulers and military leaders to attendants, artisans and communities encountered along the way," Ashish Anand, CEO and managing director, DAG, said in a statement. The exhibition includes Eden’s works from 1836 when she arrived in Calcutta to 1842 when she left for home. According to an accompanying book, the Edens arrived in Calcutta on March 4, 1836 and one of the aims of the governor-general was “to fulfill the strategy of the East India Company to repel Russian advances on British Indian territory in the north-west”. The nearly-2700 kilometre journey with an estimated retinue of 12,000 men, women and children included visits to cantonments, warehouses, opium factories and arms manufacturers in cities, including Varanasi, Patna, Delhi, Gwalior, Lucknow, Allahabad, Amritsar, and Shimla. Eden drew portraits of people she met. Her subjects include Afghan and Sikh nobles, Akalis and hill people, fakirs, domestic servants and hunting attendants – “anyone who caught her eye, whether young or old”. “Since first seeing a portfolio of Emily Eden’s Indian portraits over a decade ago, I’ve admired her work and wished to make it known to a wider audience. This wish has now been made possible through my collaboration with DAG, and it’s particularly poignant that we are able to bring attention to Emily’s extraordinary life, her paintings and drawings here in India, where many of them were originally produced,” Prior said in a statement. The aim of the governor-general’s trip northwards was to cement an alliance with Ranjit Singh, who, according to Eden, was “the only Indian subject that was interesting at home”. The portrait of the ailing king, who died in 1839, became the most well-known of Eden’s works from this period. “She portrays him in profile, plainly dressed and seated with one leg resting on his silver chair, the other on a footstool; his left hand is raised, and the index finger is pointing. A simple composition and a single gesture showcase Emily’s skill in capturing not just the physical likeness of her subject (‘like an old mouse’) but also the dignity and authority of the Maharaja, whom many had once feared,” the curator writes in the book. Through portraits of kings and courtiers, warriors and attendants, travellers and servants, the exhibition reconstructs a vivid panorama of a world in transition. Another major highlight of the exhibition is the accompanying Eden Family Archives, which was recently acquired by DAG from the estate of Anthony Eden. Comprising sketchbooks, journals, correspondence, original watercolours and family papers, the archive offers an intimate view of Eden's creative process and provides invaluable insight into the experiences that shaped her artistic practice. Also complementing Eden's work is a rare collection of Lahore Company School paintings dating from the mid-nineteenth century. The exhibition will come to an end on August 1. PTI MAH MAH BK BK