The Council House, Calcutta, from "Oriental Scenery: Twenty Four Views in Hindoostan"
1795-1803
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1953-78-34
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**The Council House, Calcutta**, one of 24 captivating views from Thomas Daniell's *Oriental Scenery* series (1795-1803), offers a window into British colonial India. Daniell, a pioneering British (1749-1840), traveled extensively across India with his nephew William sketching architectural marvels and landscapes. Published as hand-colored aquatint prints—though the exact medium here remains under study—these works brought the exotic "Hindoostan" to audiences, fueling Romantic fascination with the East. Depicting Calcutta's Council House, a key administrative hub in the bustling capital of Br...