The Old Court House and Writers' Buildings

Currently not on view

The Old Court House and Writers' Buildings

1786

Thomas Daniell (British, 1749–1840)

The painter-engraver Thomas Daniell was one of a number of European artists who traveled to British India during the eighteenth century in search of job prospects. In the print series Views of Calcutta, his first artistic venture on the subcontinent, Daniell portrayed his adopted city as a modern and orderly urban oasis not unlike London. This image emphasizes Calcutta's wide avenues, uninterrupted vistas, and European-style architecture. The Indian and English figures in the street coexist peaceably, if not quite as equals. Views of Calcutta proved to be extremely popular among the city's wealthy foreign residents, perhaps because it represented the Bengali metropolis as a familiar, cosmopolitan domain securely under British control.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

The Old Court House and Writers' Buildings
Plate 2 from the series Views of Calcutta (Calcutta, 1786 - 1788)

Date:

1786

Artist:

Thomas Daniell (British, 1749–1840)

Medium:

Hand-colored etching

Dimensions:

Sheet: 15 7/8 x 20 5/8 inches (40.3 x 52.4 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

The Henry P. McIlhenny Collection in memory of Frances P. McIlhenny, 1986

Accession Number:

1986-26-324

Geography:

Made in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), West Bengal, India, Asia

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Currently not on view