The Old Fort Ghaut
Artist and publisher Thomas Daniell British
Not on view
Plate 6 from Thomas Daniell's "Views of Calcutta" represents the ghat (steps) descending from the old Fort William to the River Hooghly. Built at the turn of the eighteenth century, the fort had been attacked in 1757 by the Nawab of Bengal then repurposed into warehouses, offices and Custom House for the East India Company. Indians bathing in the river demonstate how locals used the site.
In 1784 Thomas Daniel obtained permission from the East India Company to travel to India to work as an engraver, assisted by his nephew William. The pair reached Calcutta in 1786 and soon began to issue the first topographical prints of the colonial capital. Twelve etched and aquatinted “Views of Calcutta” were completed by 1788, printed and hand-colored by Indian assistants. The images proved immensely popular in India and Europe, and helped to launch a vogue for Indian ornament and design in Britain.
