CURRENT AFFAIRS | 15 JULY 2026
Nearly two centuries ago, an English aristocrat travelled through North India with sketchbook in hand and left behind a vivid visual record of its princes and people. That record is now on show in Delhi.
The exhibition, “Princes & People of India: Portraits by Emily Eden,” is on at DAG on Janpath, New Delhi, until 1 August 2026. Emily Eden was the sister of George Eden, Earl of Auckland, who served as Governor-General of India from 1836 to 1842.
Between 1837 and 1842 she journeyed across the north with her brother’s grand entourage, recording what she saw in words and in about thirty hand-coloured lithographs, drawn from the recently acquired Eden Family Archives. Her eye ranged widely — from rajas and soldiers to servants and fakirs.
Among her subjects were Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire at Lahore, the Raja of Patiala and the Raja of Nahan in present-day Himachal. She also documented Delhi in the twilight of the last Mughal, Bahadur Shah Zafar.
🏛️ Constitutional / Legal Framework
- Governor-General was the highest British administrative office in India; Lord Auckland held it from 1836 to 1842 (the Viceroy title came only in 1858).
- Eden’s works exemplify the colonial Company School and the ‘picturesque’ painting tradition.
- They document the princely states — the semi-autonomous kingdoms of 19th-century India.
- Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Sikh Empire at Lahore was among the most powerful regional forces of the era.
⚖️ Why This Matters for CLAT
Art & culture and colonial history recur in CLAT GK. This exhibition ties together several examinable threads — the Company School painting tradition, the office of Governor-General, and figures like Ranjit Singh and Bahadur Shah Zafar. Cultural-heritage news items are also frequent reading-comprehension sources, so understanding the colonial gaze embedded in such art is a useful analytical skill.
📌 Key Facts
| Exhibition | Princes & People of India: Portraits by Emily Eden |
| Venue | DAG, Janpath, New Delhi |
| On view until | 1 August 2026 |
| Artist | Emily Eden (1837-1842 travels) |
| Brother | Lord Auckland, Governor-General 1836-42 |
| Tradition | Company School / ‘picturesque’ |
| Notable subjects | Ranjit Singh, Raja of Patiala, Raja of Nahan |
| Source | Eden Family Archives (~30 lithographs) |
🧠 Memory Aid
“Eden’s sketchbook, Auckland’s India.” Sister Eden paints while brother Auckland governs — the Company School captures princely India for eyes back in Britain.
More than pretty pictures, Eden’s portraits are historical documents — a colonial-era window into the courts, costumes and characters of a rapidly changing India, now brought home for a new audience to study.
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
Click an option to reveal the answer and explanation.
