 |
| A desi sepoy of British-Indian army bringing in a captured Mohmand Pashtun freedom fighter, 1897. From London Illustrated News. Source |
John Charlton, actually never visited North West Frontier, or any part of India for that matter, and did not witness any of the battles of 1897. He created vivid, imaginative illustrations, using descriptions, reports, or second-hand visual materials, for publication in The Graphic. His works drew inspiration from news dispatches and accounts rather than firsthand sketches. The lack of the background in this scene is indicative of it being an imagantive artwork.
According to the original caption, the sawar belongs to 13th Bengal lancers which in 1897 was 38% Sikhs, 25% Punjabi Muslim, 25% Dogra and 12% Pathan. It was commanded by Sher Singh (a Sikh) in 1897.
No comments:
Post a Comment