Victoria Maharani with the Princess Royal, Indian, c. 1845.
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, 26.1 x 20.5 cm.

Courtesy of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Harvard University Art Museums, Gift in gratitude to John Coolidge, Gift of Leslie Cheek, Jr., Anonymous Fund in memory of Henry Berg, Louise Haskell Daly, Alpheus Hyatt, Richard Norton Memorial Funds and through the generosity of Albert H. Gordon and Emily Rauh Pulitzer, 1995.139

Europe has always looked to the East as a source for wealth, trade, and inspiration. At no time was this interest felt more strongly than during the period of colonial expansion, from the 17th through the 20th centuries. The quest for luxury goods and trading partners brought Europeans to India, where they encountered exotic sites, ancient monuments, and schools of local artists. Seaports like Madras and Calcutta quickly evolved into wealthy cosmopolitan cities, which also attracted western artists to serve their new inhabitants and to document colonial life for audiences back home. The resulting contact between patrons, artists, and artworks from different cultures fueled a revolution in Indian art and the fascination with the exotic East in Europe.

This period and the artwork it inspired are the subject of the exhibition Image and Empire: Picturing India During the Colonial Era. This exhibition features objects from the Harvard University Art Museums along with works from other local and university collections, including Harvard's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography. Ranging from picturesque landscapes and "Company painting" (works commissioned by British residents serving the East India Company) to luxurious ivories and documentary photography, this exhibition will highlight the shared innovations in style, subject matter, and vision as both local and foreign artists undertook the task of picturing India.

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