The Town of Rampore

1820

Original hand-coloured aquatint on paper

18.5 x 24 in   |  47.2 x 61 cm

This coloured aquatint was made by Robert Havell and Son from plate 5 of JB Fraser's 'Views in the Himala Mountains'. Fraser and his brother William reached Rampur, the capital of Bushair State in the Himalayan foothills, on 12 June 1815. It was an important trading place for cashmere wool and was situated on the banks of the river Sutlej, which was crossed by the precarious rope bridge seen in the bottom left corner. (Source: British Library Board)

James Baillie Fraser, a Scot, travelled to India after the war with Nepal ended. Accompanied by his brother William, he explored the Himalayan region for two months in 1815-16, and the duo were the first Europeans to reach the sources of both the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Fraser, who was tutored by artist George Chinnery, documented his travels in the form of sketches and writings. Upon his return to Calcutta, he was encouraged to publish these by William Havell. The writings were published as The Journal of a Tour through Part of the Snowy Range of the Himalaya Mountains and to the Sources of the Rivers Jumna and Ganges, alongside the present lot.

This work will be shipped unframed

NON-EXPORTABLE