Album of topographical views in India
1858
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1858
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Album of topographical views in India is a 1858 watercolor by Lady Charlotte Canning, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This sketch shows two small domed buildings in a garden. One has a white dome and columns, the other a simpler dome in the distance. Trees with thick, dark branches stand between them, and a bench sits under the smaller pavilion. The colors are soft—light browns, pale greens, and a faint sky. The artist used loose, quick brushstrokes to capture light and shadow, almost like a sketchbook note. This style was common in travel drawings of the time. Next, check out Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.
The album contains watercolour, pencil, pen and ink, and wash drawings on cream wove paper, bound in dark green cloth-covered boards with quarter leather and marbled endpapers, secured by leather ties. It includes 48 pages, two of which are cut in half, with most watercolours adhered in place and one loose. Pages are typically inscribed with titles and dates, and the album bears a label indicating it was bound by Martin of Calcutta.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Lady Charlotte Canning painted gentle scenes in watercolor while traveling through India in the 1850s and 1860s.
See the richer artist page
