‘Aden – Oct 22nd /71’

Title:

‘Aden – Oct 22nd /71’

Contributor:

Jeffery Charles Amherst (artist)

Date:

1871/1871

Description:

Genre/Subject MatterThese two small watercolour drawings depict scenes taken from life at the Settlement of Aden in 1871. Both drawings focus on Arabs’ use of camels as a form of transport.In the left-hand drawing, four veiled women perch alongside one another atop a litter held in place on the back of a light-haired camel. All four women are obscured in blue robes; the woman on the right has an uncovered face, while only the eyes of the other three women are visible.A tall, slender man wearing only a blue loincloth and turban leads the camel by a tether attached to a harness about its muzzle. He holds what appears to be a walking stick or cane in his right hand.The right-hand image shows an Arab man standing balanced on the neck of a dark-haired camel. He is wearing a turban and loincloth, which is held together by a belt that also holds a janbiyain place. Both the material of the turban and loincloth are blue with red detailing and have been rendered very delicately in order to illustrate this. The man wears an object at his side, held there by a strap that crosses his torso. He whirls a whip above his head. Behind him, balanced on the camel’s saddle is a long-barrelled rifle; it has been decorated in black and white concentric stripes.Both drawings are stylistically in keeping with other sketches of ‘natives’ in this volume and in the related files Mss Eur F140/232 and Mss Eur F140/233, which, together with this volume, complete the trio of journals created by Jeffrey C. Amherst.InscriptionsLower left corner: ‘Aden – Oct 22nd /71’Temporal ContextThe drawing was made during the period Amherst was based at Aden, between 30 November 1870 and 1871/1872. It is likely to have been sketched from life either at or near the Isthmus Position, where two companies of British and two companies of Native Infantry were regularly based, according to an 1877 publication (F. M. Hunter, An Account of the British Settlement at Aden, (London: Trübner & Co., 1877)) and where Amherst was attending a musketry course between 18–28 October 1871. Amherst moved about frequently between Crater, Isthmus, Ras Marshag and elsewhere during his time at Aden.2 drawings; watercolour and pencil on paper, pasted into volumeDimensions:108 x 180 mm [landscape]Materials:Pencil on paperCondition:The paper is slightly foxed, with light surface residue but otherwise in good condition with adhesive still sturdy.Foliation:The images have been assigned a sequential number, 5, which is written in pencil in the lower right corner of the page onto which the image is pasted.

Language:

English

Type:

Drawing

Type (Narrower):

Drawings

Type (Broader):

Image

Geographic region:

Aden
Central Asia
Ava
Bengal
Bombay
Brazil
Burma
Canada
Canton
Central India
China
Delhi
Fort William
Hong Kong
Hyderabad State
India
Iran
Ireland
Java
Madagascar
Madras
Malacca
Nagpur
Oudh
Penang
Philippines
Rajputana
Ramree
Russia
Shahpur
Sicily
Singapore
Bharatpur

Extent:

2 drawings; watercolour and pencil on paper, pasted into volume

Rights:

Public Domain

Identifier:

81055/vdc_100023518036.0x000001_ar
81055/vdc_100023518036.0x000001_en
Mss Eur F140/234/5

Is part of:

British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers

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