Esplanade Row and the Council House

Plate 10 from Thomas Daniell's "Views of Calcutta" represents a distant view of buildings on Esplanade Row, a street built along the north side of the Maidan, an open space at the center of the city. Public institutions along the Row include the new Court House, Supreme Court, old Government House and Council House (the latter built in 1764, seen here at right, and demolished in 1799). Tents in the foreground indicate that British troops have set up camp.
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.