Old Government House
Artist and publisher Thomas Daniell British
Not on view
Plate 11 from Thomas Daniell's "Views of Calcutta" represents Old Government House, built in 1767 on Esplanade Row next to the new Council House. It became the official residence of the Governor-General in 1773. Here soldiers and carriages crowd the space before the building, as additional figures wait on the grass near camels and elephants.
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.
