Portrait miniatures: India

In 1785 the miniaturists John Smart, Ozias Humphry and Diana Hill independently made the six-month voyage by boat to India. To set up a business in either Madras or Calcutta they needed the permission of the East India Company, the trading company that effectively ran these areas at this date.

Although some of their sitters were local dignitaries, most were British. They included employees of the Company and their families. With miniaturists based in India, the exchange of portraits between Britain and India became cheap and easy. They could be posted or carried home by a friend or relative.

Click on the images below for larger versions and more information.

John Smart, Portrait of an Unknown Man with the Initials 'ER'

John Smart, About 1742-1811
Portrait of an Unknown Man with the Initials 'ER'
Dated 1789
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower left 'J.S.' in monogram and dated '1789', followed by 'I'for India. At the back of the gold locket is a hair insert in the form of a plaited cross and the letters 'ER'
Museum no. P.19-1984
Bequeathed by Mrs K. Gifford Scott

This miniature of an unknown Indian man is inscribed with the letter 'I'. Smart identified all the miniatures he painted in India in this way.

John Smart, Portrait of Muhammad Ali Khan

John Smart About 1742-1811
Portrait of Muhammad Ali Khan, Nawab of Arcot
Dated 1781
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower left, 'J.S.', in monogram, and dated '1787', followed by 'I', indicating that it was painted in India
Museum no. P.13-1930
Presented by Harry N. Jonas, in memory of his wife, Rosa Maud Jonas

Muhammad Ali Khan was Nawab (ruler) of Arcot and the Carnatic. He mixed frequently with Europeans and commissioned work from western artists living in Madras.

John Smart, Portrait of an Unknown Man

John Smart, 1742-1811
Portrait of an Unknown Man
Dated 1787
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower left, ‘J.S.’, in monogram, and dated ‘1787’, followed by ‘I’ indicating that it was painted in India. The back of the locket is engraved with the sitter’s monogram ‘W.S.D’
Museum no. Evans 222
Alan Evans Bequest, given by the National Gallery

This sitter has traditionally been called ‘Captain W. S. Dawe, Grenadier Officer in the Indian Infantry’.

Ozias Humphry, RA

Ozias Humphry, RA, 1742-1810
Portrait of Hyder Beg Khan
Dated 1786
Watercolour on ivory
Inscribed on the backing paper, probably by the artist, ‘Hyder Beg Khan / the minister of [...] Asoph ul Dowlah / 1786 / Lucknow’
Museum no. Evans 142
Alan Evans Bequest, given by the National Gallery

Hyder Beg Khan was the minister to Asaf-Au-Daula, the Nawab (ruler) of Oudh.

Diana Hill, born Dietz About 1760-1844

Diana Hill, born Dietz About 1760-1844
'Unknown Girl'
About 1800
Watercolour on ivory
Museum no. P.139-1929 

The East India Company made it difficult for company employees to marry Indian women. But there were many unofficial 'marriages'. This girl in her fashionable western clothes could be the daughter of such a couple.

 

 

Diana Hill, born Dietz

Diana Hill, born Dietz, About 1760-1844
Portrait of Lieutenant Thomas Harriott, the Artist's Second Husband
Dated 1791
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower right 'D.H.' in monogram and dated '1791'
Museum no. P.126-1920

Thomas Harriott was an officer in the East India Company's service. He met Diana Hill, a widow, in India, and they married in 1788. Having raised a family, they moved back to England in 1806.

There is also a reverse view of this miniature.

George Chinnery, Portrait of Catherine Sherson

George Chinnery 1774-1852
Portrait of Catherine Sherson, born Taylor
Dated 1802 or 1803
Watercolour on ivory
Signed lower right 'C' and also 'EI', indicating that it was painted in the East Indies, and dated '180(?)'
Museum no. P.27-1922

Catherine (1780-1858) was a daughter of Captain, afterwards Colonel John Taylor of Madras. She married Robert Sherson at Madras in 1798. Like many of Catherine's family, her husband worked for the East India Company.

Charles Hayter, Portrait of an Unknown Boy

Charles Hayter, 1761-1835
Portrait of an Unknown Boy
About 1800
Watercolour on ivory
Museum no. P.24-1923

This boy holds the miniature of his mother and siblings, (Museum no. P.23-1923). His father was a purser in the East India Company 's service, probably working on the ships that travelled between India and Britain. The miniature was painted in London, possibly for the boy 's father to carry with him.

Charles Hayter, Portrait of an Unknown Woman and Two Children

Charles Hayter, 1761-1835
Portrait of an Unknown Woman and Two Children
About 1800
Watercolour on ivory
Museum no. P.23-1923

This shows the mother and siblings of the boy in Museum no. P.24-1923. Her husband was a purser in the East India Company 's service. The miniature was painted in London, possibly for the woman 's husband to carry with him.