Ottacamund East View

circa 1842

Later hand-coloured lithograph on paper

Print Size: 14.25 x 18.5 in (36.2 x 47 cm)
With Mount: 19 x 23.25 in (48.5 x 59 cm)

This print is a rare, magnificent, hand-coloured panoramic mountain view of Ootacamund, located in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. This print is plate 3 of Edward Archdale Mccurdy book titled Three Panoramic Views of Ottacamund, the Chief Station on the Neilgherries, or Blue Mountains of Coimbetore Showing the Situation of All the Houses at That Sanatorium of the South of India, published by Smith, Elder, & Co., London and Printed by C. Hullmandel, [c.1842]

Tipu Sultan's dominion of Mysore encompassed the Nilgiri Hills until the latter half of the 18th century. The region's moderate summer climate and relative elevation immediately drew the British Raj. Following its initial "discovery" in 1819 by John Sullivan (d.1855), the collector of the neighbouring Coimbatore province, the region underwent rapid development. The entire region quickly became a significant summer destination as a result of the combination of images of the magnificent scenery (such as those in the present work) and reports of the favorable climate. Ootacamund, or Ooty, ultimately served as the summer capital of the Madras Presidency, with access provided by a network of winding hill roads and a magnificent rack railway system constructed with financial support from the Madras government.

The Nilgiris form part of the Western Ghats, a mountain range older than the Himalayas and were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2012. De Silva describes this work as one of three that present "the most vivid early visual representations of the Nilgiris."

This lot will be shipped unframed.

NON-EXPORTABLE

This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as reference for the condition.