The DAG art gallery in New Delhi is set to open an exhibition titled ‘Princes & People of India: Portraits by Emily Eden’ on July 10, 2026, bringing together for the first time in India the complete published series of Eden’s celebrated 1844 book ‘Portraits of the Princes and People of India’. The exhibition also features the recently acquired Eden Family Archives and a rare corpus of Lahore Company School paintings.
Who Was Emily Eden?
Emily Eden (1797-1869) was an artist, poet, and novelist who accompanied her brother George Eden (Lord Auckland), Governor-General of India from 1836 to 1842, on his official travels. Unmarried, she served as his hostess along with their sister Frances (Fanny). During their expedition from Calcutta to Lahore in 1838 to visit Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s court, Emily sketched numerous portraits of people she encountered, including Afghan and Sikh nobles, Akalis, hill people, fakirs, and servants.
Exhibition Highlights
Curated by art historian Mary Ann Prior, the exhibition showcases over two dozen lithographs from Eden’s book, tinted with watercolour on paper. Ashish Anand, CEO and MD of DAG, noted that the exhibition includes notebooks and other materials from the Eden family archive, alongside Company paintings made in Lahore around 1850 that relate to Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s court.
Key Lithographs on Display
- ‘The Rajah of Putteealla, on his State Elephant’: A portrait of Maharaja Karam Singh, fourth ruler of Patiala, whom Eden first met on 15 January 1839 while he rode an elephant.
- ‘Akalees’: Depicting Sikh irregular warriors (Akali-Nihangs), Eden described them in a letter dated 26 December 1838 as an “alarming class of people” that even Maharaja Ranjit Singh could not tame. The lithograph captures their electric-blue dress (neela bana), conical turbans (dustaar bunga), and weapons including muskets, swords, and chakrams (quoits).
- ‘A Young Hill Raja’: A portrait of a young Rana from the Western Himalayas, wearing a white choga and dark red pyjamas, depicted with a sword and arrow, conveying authority despite his youth.
- ‘Runjeet Singh’: Eden’s portrait of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, drawn on 23 December 1838 in Lahore. She depicted him in a simple red silk robe and unadorned turban, without jewels, contrasting with the opulent court. The portrait shows him sitting in an armchair, looking towards the gardens, with his blind eye visible.
Historical Context
The Eden family played prominent roles in British society for nearly 200 years. Emily’s brother George was Governor-General during a critical period, and her sketches provide a unique insight into Punjab at the close of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s golden era and the start of Queen Victoria’s reign. The exhibition opens on July 10 at DAG, New Delhi.
