Global Encounters and the Archives: Britain’s Empire in the Age of Horace Walpole
Item
An Indian Merchant in his Muslin Dress & Turban : A Native Merchant in the English Costume, 1802
Title
An Indian Merchant in his Muslin Dress & Turban : A Native Merchant in the English Costume, 1802
Description
Mocking the ability of colonized peoples in British India to assimilate to "English" ways –and perhaps mocking the British imperial project itself –this pair of prints depicts "before" and "after" scenes featuring native persons. The Indian Merchant in his Muslin Dress & Turban sits calmly, coolly at his desk, writing in a ledger. His counterpart, the Native Merchant in the English Costume, sweats over disorderly stacks of paper and books, surrounded by imports unfit for the warm climate, such as "Fleecy Hosiery" and "Blankets." Catalog Record
Contributor
Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University Library
Creator
Anonymous
