A View of Botanic Garden House and Reach

James Bailie Fraser, a European watercolourist and printmaker, travelled extensively through India and produced a series of aquatints in England called Views of Calcutta between 1824 and 1826. Fraser’s views imbue the city with a hint of romanticism to convey a sense of pride in British rule. He depicts white buildings surrounded by lush vegetation silhouetted against a blue sky or monsoon clouds. This view of the Botanical Garden—built in 1787—shows the Roxburgh House and stormy skies over the Hooghly River. As the grey clouds travel over the city, and the river begins to get tumultuous, the boatmen begin to make their way towards the shore.