Plate Description:
No. IV. THE WRITERS' BUILDINGS, CALCUTTA.
The Writers’ Buildings, so called from being the residence of the junior part of the Gentleman in the service of the English East India Company. Immediately beyond this Edifice is the old Court House; the road leads on to the Loll Bazar; the obelisk was erected by Governor Holwell, in commemoration of the dreadful circumstance which happened in the prison called the Blackhole, in the year 1756.
Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell were the leading painters and engravers of Indian architecture and landscapes in the 18th-19th centuries. They were the first English artists to produce topographical views of India in their “Views in Calcutta” in 1788. Their best-known work is the monumental series “Oriental Scenery,” comprising 144 large hand-colored aquatint engravings in six volumes, which was published in London over between 1795-1808. William Daniell published a second edition of “Oriental Scenery” in 1812-1816, called the Quarto Edition, which featured smaller uncolored aquatint engravings, including this example.
See also M.2013.137.1a-b, M.2013.137.2a-b, M.2013.137.3a-b, and M.2013.137.4.
