A Glimpse of Empire

by Jessica Douglas-Home

This is the story of a young Anglo-Irish-beauty's visit to Delhi for the 1911 Royal darbar, where a new King, George V, is to be proclaimed Emperor to reinforce the loyalty to the Crown of India's ruling princes. For a fortnight of relentless ceremony, unheard of extravagance and imposing military, telegraph and post offices, Lilah Wingfield meets many of the most remarkable colonial characters of the day, including some of the most foremost Indian Prices, vying to stage the most lavish display

Genres: History

350 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

Reviews

[Yashovardhan Sinha]

A shallow & superficial account of a young British girl to India in 1911 to attend the Darbar of George V in Delhi. The writer is not to blame, though. She wrote it as her diary. Some grand-daughter of hers thought it fit to publish it as a book.
I think it may have been better published by the writer herself after returning to England as a series of articles in some women's magazine.

[Allison Glass]

I enjoyed this book especially as an exercise, but it certainly could have been better written.

First off, hat's off to the writer who found and put words to her grandmother's diary. The exercise is beautiful. Anyone who enjoys familial history will enjoy this book. The pictures also are a great help.

You can also tell the author did extensive research.

Furthermore, as a social scientist, it is wonderful to read a different perspective on the Victorian era. It is so fascinating to see a more common person question her surroundings, and challenge her status. It reminds you that while an era may have had norms and traditions, they were not unquestioned. It is really fantastic.

It is also amazing to see how India once was especially compared to what we know is merely 25 years away. Absolutely incredible.

That being said, the writing could have been more engaging. A first person perspective could have helped. Furthermore, a more extensive epilogue on Lilah would have been helpful. She is the person you grow to love in the book; what happens to her? Is she happy in her new marriage?

Overall, if you enjoy India, or first hand accounts, this is a good book for you.

[Christopher Raper]

A fascinating extract from the private diary of Lilah Wingfield. Born the daughter of Viscount Powerscourt and the granddaughter of the Earl of Leicester, she escaped a confined life as companion of her widowed mother to attend the 1911 Coronation Durbar in Delhi.
This book covers her experiences in India, and is an extraordinary account of a vanished world. Her sympathies were more with the Indian Princes than with the colonial powers, and her social position opened doors to allow her to see the lives of some of the Princes. In particular, her friendship with the Begum of Bhopal allowed her to see behind the doors of the Zenana and life the veil of purdah.

[Michael]

A mildly interesting look the intersection of pre-Great War British culture and pre-Independence India, told from the point of view of a middling aristocratic young woman who travels to India for the Royal Durbar in 1911. Very little analysis, but I didn't buy it for that. Mostly I bought it for the pictures, which are quite interesting. The book is a small thing, but it shines a penlight into a tiny little corner of much bigger framework, and is therefore unique and illuminating.

[Vikas Datta]

A wonderful account of the pageantry marking the Raj's high-water mark but a little too brief...