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Head and shoulders portrait of an Anglo-Indian girl.

Portrait
ca. 1810-1820 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a portrait of a young Anglo-Indian girl wearing a low-necked, high-waisted gown typical of the Regency period (1811-1820). This suggests that the portrait was painted about 1810-1820. This would make it one of the earliest portrait paintings on ivory in the V&A’s collection of Company Paintings (paintings made by Indian artists for the British in India). The donor, Charles Campbell Prinsep, was the grandson of James Prinsep, who married Evie Campbell and was Assistant to Sir Thomas Metcalfe, Resident at Delhi (1811-1819).


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleHead and shoulders portrait of an Anglo-Indian girl.
Materials and techniques
Painted watercolour on ivory. In 2017, the portrait was mounted in a metal frame for display purposes and for protection.
Brief description
Painting; Watercolour on ivory, This is a head and shoulders portrait of an Anglo-Indian girl, Delhi, ca.1810-1820
Physical description
This head and shoulders portrait of an Anglo-Indian girl shows her wearing a low-necked, high-waisted gown typical of the Regency period and a pearl necklace.
Dimensions
  • Length: 7cm
  • Width: 5.5cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
Half-caste young lady of Bengal (Inscription; decoration; English; Roman; On the reverse; Unknown)
Gallery label
PORTRAIT OF AN ANGLO-INDIAN WOMAN Watercolour on ivory Delhi c. 1810-20 03627 (IS) The identity of the woman in this portrait remains unknown. The inscription on the reverse of the painting, which reads ‘half-caste young lady of Bengal’, combined with her clothing, alludes to her social background. It is likely to have been collected by an employee of the East India Company. Given to loved ones, a portrait such as this one would be treasured.(01/08/2017)
Credit line
Transferred from the India Museum
Object history
Given to the India Museum by Charles Campbell Prinsep
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is a portrait of a young Anglo-Indian girl wearing a low-necked, high-waisted gown typical of the Regency period (1811-1820). This suggests that the portrait was painted about 1810-1820. This would make it one of the earliest portrait paintings on ivory in the V&A’s collection of Company Paintings (paintings made by Indian artists for the British in India). The donor, Charles Campbell Prinsep, was the grandson of James Prinsep, who married Evie Campbell and was Assistant to Sir Thomas Metcalfe, Resident at Delhi (1811-1819).
Bibliographic reference
Archer, Mildred. Company Paintings Indian Paintings of the British period Victoria and Albert Museum Indian Series London: Victoria and Albert Museum, Maplin Publishing, 1992 218 p. ISBN 0944142303
Collection
Accession number
03627(IS)

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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