Mss Eur C14, ff.1-42

42 drawings depicting the dress worn by Hindu and Muhammadan men and women of various classes and castes in both the hot and cold seasons.

By a Patna artist, c.1814.

Inscribed with numbers and titles.

Water-colour; 10 by 8 ins.

Deposited by F. Buchanan-Hamilton, c.1820.

Listed: Kaye 170.

Note: For Francis Buchanan (later Buchanan-Hamilton) see the Western Drawings in the Buchanan-Hamilton collection. Between 1811 and 1812 Buchanan made a survey of Bihar and Patna districts. The water-marks of 1812 and 1813 on the costume drawings show that they could not have been acquired by Buchanan during his survey work. But he almost certainly encountered Patna painters while he was in the city and he probably ordered a set of pictures which were later supplied to him. In table 41 of the appendix to his Patna report, he enumerates 12 ‘Musawir Wallahs’ or professional painters as working there. The present group differs from conventional sets of Patna paintings which do not depict ‘summer’ and ‘winter’ dress in this way. Nevertheless a few ‘type’ pictures from such sets are included, the Gwalin (xl), for example, being closely similar to Add.Or.1855.

The present group of drawings was used by R.M. Martin to illustrate his ‘The History, antiquities, topography and statistics of eastern India’ (London, 1838). Nos. i, ii, xxiv, xxv were reproduced in Martin I, frontispiece and plates 1 and 2; v, vi in Martin II, plate 2. The remaining six costume illustrations in Martin II and III showing ‘Hindoos of high rank in full winter dress’, ‘Hindoos of high rank in common summer dress’ and ‘Hindoos of high rank in common winter dress’ are missing in the present collection and account for the numbers 26-31. It seems probable that these paintings were mislaid after being lithographed for Martin’s book.

i Muhammadan gentleman in white muslin costume holding a letter.

Inscribed: ‘1. Moslem of high rank in full Summer Dress.’

ii Muhammadan lady in white sari holding a rose.

Inscribed: ‘2. Moslem of High Rank in full Summer Dress.’

iii Muhammadan gentleman with a sword.

Inscribed: ‘3. Moslem of High Rank in common Summer Dress.’

iv Muhammadan lady in blue trousers with a hand punkah.

Inscribed: ‘4. Moslem of High Rank in common Summer Dress.’

v Muhammadan gentleman with green shawl.

Inscribed: ‘5. Moslem of High Rank in full winter dress.’

vi Muhammadan lady in crimson dress and purple shawl.

Inscribed: ‘6. Moslem of High Rank in full winter dress.’

vii Muhammadan gentleman with yellow shawl and walking stick.

Inscribed: ‘7. Moslem of High Rank in common winter dress.’

viii Muhammadan lady in striped trousers and red shawl.

Inscribed: ‘8. Moslem of High Rank in common winter dress.’

ix Muhammadan man in plain white costume.

Inscribed: ‘9. Second Rank of Moslems in full summer dress.’

x Muhammadan woman in striped trousers and pink veil.

Inscribed: ‘10. Second Rank of Moslems in full dress for summer.’

xi Muhammadan man holding a punkah.

Inscribed: ‘11. Second Rank of Moslems common dress in summer.’

xii Muhammadan woman holding a punkah.

Inscribed: ‘12. Second Rank of Moslems in common summer dress.’

xiii Muhammadan man with purple flowered shawl.

Inscribed: ‘13. Second Rank of Moslems in full winter dress.’

xiv Muhammadan man in plain white costume.

Inscribed: ‘14. Second Rank of Moslems in common Winter dress.’

xv Muhammadan woman in striped trousers and purple veil.

Inscribed: ‘15. Second Rank of Moslems in common winter dress.’

xvi Muhammadan man in plain white dress with ‘dhoti.’

Inscribed: ‘16. Third class of Moslems in Summer.’

xvii Muhammadan woman in plain white sari.

Inscribed: ‘17. Third class of Moslems in summer in Sari.’

xviii Muhammadan man with red spotted wrap.

Inscribed: ‘18. Third class of Moslems in winter.’

xix Muhammadan woman in red checked trousers and white veil.

Inscribed: 19. ‘Third class of Moslems in winter dress.’

xx Muhammadan man in short red ‘dhoti’ and white wrap

Inscribed: ‘20. Lowest dress of Moslems in summer.’

xxi Muhammadan woman in plain white sari

Inscribed: ‘21. Lowest dress of Moslems in summer.’

xxii Muhammadan man in short white ‘dhoti’ and dark wrap.

Inscribed: ‘22. Lowest dress of Moslems in winter.’

xxiii Muhammadan woman in white sari and dark veil.

Inscribed: ‘23. Lowest dress of Moslems in winter.’

xxiv Hindu gentleman in white muslin costume and pink turban.

Inscribed: ‘24. Visiting summer dress of a Hindu of High rank.’

xxv Hindu lady in dark blue skirt and red veil holding a punkah.

Inscribed: ‘25. Full Summer dress of a Hindu of High rank.’

xxvi Hindu man in white costume.

Inscribed: ‘32. Second rank of Hindus in summer visiting dress.’

xxvii Hindu man in pinkish ‘dhoti’ and white wrap.

Inscribed: ‘33. Second rank of Hindus common dress in summer.’

xxviii Hindu woman in pink sari with punkah.

Inscribed: ‘34. Second Rank Hindu common dress in summer.’

xxix Hindu man in white costume.

Inscribed: ‘35. Second Rank of Hindus visiting dress in winter.’

xxx Hindu man in white costume and yellow ‘dhoti.’

Inscribed: ‘36. Second rank of Hindus common dress in winter.’

xxxi Hindu woman in purple skirt and yellow flowered shawl.

Inscribed: ‘37. Second rank of Hindus common dress in winter.’

xxxii Hindu woman in yellow skirt and white veil.

Inscribed: ‘38. Second rank of Hindus in full dress for marriages.’

xxxiii Hindu woman in pink dress and green veil.

Inscribed: ‘39. Second rank of Hindus in dress for marriages.’

xxxiv Hindu woman in blue shirt and red veil.

Inscribed: ‘40. Second rank of Hindus visiting dress.’

xxxv Hindu man in short white ‘dhoti’ and wrap.

Inscribed: ‘41. Third class of Hindus in Summer.’

xxxvi Hindu woman in white sari.

Inscribed: ‘42. Third class of Hindus in summer.’

xxxvii Hindu man in short ‘dhoti’ and white wrap.

Inscribed: ‘43. Third class of Hindus in winter.’

xxxviii Hindu woman in dark blue skirt and white veil.

Inscribed: ‘44. Third class of Hindus in winter.’

xxxix Milkman ‘(gwa1a)’ in short yellow ‘dhoti’ carrying a stick.

Inscribed: ‘45. Lowest dress of Hindus in summer. Goyala of Magadha in the (kacha) lowest dress of the country.’

xl Milkman’s wife ‘(gwalin)’ carrying a basket of cow-dung cakes.

Inscribed: ‘46. Hindus in lowest summer dress. Goyalia of Magadha in the (kiluya) lowest dress of the country.’

xli Hindu in short ‘dhoti’ and wrap.

Inscribed: ‘47. Lowest dress of Hindus in winter.’

xlii Hindu woman in white sari.

Inscribed: ‘48. Lowest dress of Hindus in the cold season.’