The Raj: India and the British 1600-1947. Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery Winter 1990

by National Portrait Gallery London, C.A. Bayly

Published for the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery (Winter 1990-1) "The India and the British, 1600-1947", this catalogue examines the relationship between British and Indian society over the whole period of the British presence in India, from the founding of the East India Company in 1660 to the withdrawal of the British and Partition in 1947. It depicts the wealth, productivity and complex civilization of the India of the great Mughals and shows how Europeans, including the English, were drawn to its shores, seeking the privilege of trading in its fine muslins, printed cottons and spices. The English East India Company had long insisted on sovereignty within its commercial bases on Indian soil, and a significant body of opinion argued for more secure territorial holdings in the subcontinent. The catalogue attempts to illustrate and analyse the history of India and the British for over 300 years with more than 500 illustrations of the weapons, fabrics, coinage, books, drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, manuscripts, miniatures, jewellery and maps featured in the exhibition. The book is an illustrated history of India and a contribution both to Indian history and to an understanding of the European experience of colonialism.

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people.

When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world that was dedicated to portraits. The gallery moved in 1896 to its current site at St Martin's Place, off Trafalgar Square, and adjoining the National Gallery.

The National Portrait Gallery in London is unconnected to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. .