Emily Eden

An accomplished novelist, talented artist and compulsive communicator, Emily Eden’s drawings and writings offer a vivid glimpse into the tumultuous period that marked her brother’s tenure as governor general of India.

The daughter of William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland, Emily and her siblings were members of the British aristocracy and encouraged in their intellectual and artistic pursuits. Emily, much like her peers, developed her artistic talents through private lessons and access to masterpieces owned by people in her social circle.

A pivotal junction in Emily’s career as a writer and artist came in 1835, when Emily, along with her younger sister Frances (Fanny), accompanied their older brother George Eden, 2nd Baron Auckland, to India, where he served as the governor general from 1836 to 1842. During their time in the country, the siblings travelled across India, including on an expedition from Calcutta to Lahore to visit the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1838.

While Emily had shown a passion for drawing and painting at an early age, she reached the zenith of her artistic output during her time in India. During this period, she not only spent time writing letters and journalling descriptions of the country, she also sketched landscapes, genre scenes and portraits. The quality and variety of her artworks were unsurpassed by most British female artists practising in India during the Regency and Victoria eras.

After the Edens’ return to England in 1842, Emily published many of these drawings in Portraits of the Princes and People of India, a collection of 24 lithographs. She followed up on the success of Portraits and authored The Semi-Detached House (1859) and The Semi-Attached Couple (1860), based on her experiences in India.