View of Calcutta From The Garden Reach By Thomas Daniell, 1812 Aquatint
An 1812 beautiful aquatint titled “View of Calcutta From The Garden Reach” drawn and engraved by Thomas and William Daniell. The British artists Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell were in India during the 1700s, documenting various parts of the country.
Completing three tours around India: Calcutta to Ganges to Srinagar, a circular tour around Mysore from Madras. And finally, on their return journey to England, they visited Bombay. After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, Calcutta generally became a peaceful place devoid of any enemy threats. British residents of Fort William steadily moved outside the Fort walls.
The Europeans built grand “Garden Houses” at Garden Reach, an area on the bend of the Hooghly River. Nearby was the Esplanade (or Maidaan) with its wide open space, later becoming a prominent city area. The Esplanade’s periphery would be lined with the famous colonial buildings. Two of them are faintly seen in the aquatint: the Government House (now Raj Bhavan) and St Andrews Church. Palanquin bearers are seen on the edge of the River Hooghly with local boats and East India Company ships in the background.
Did you know – Garden Reach is situated on the banks of the Hooghly River, its a major shipbuilding and port area today.
Past posts – Bhagirathi or Kochupanki, Wife Of Raja Ravi Varma, 1866 Photo.
