William Wood

William Wood arrived in Calcutta in 1828 to assist his brother, George, who was the superintendent of the Asiatic Lithographic Press, established at Park Street in the 1820’s. His series of prints presents an almost continuous panorama of buildings as viewed from the Maidan. Starting with Chandpal Ghat, they extend along Esplanade Row and then turn into Chowringhee. Several mansions appear still under construction using bamboo scaffolding; in the foreground, people tend their animals, wash their clothes or themselves in the public tanks and relax in groups, smoking their hookahs.

“The elegant forms of the buildings of European Calcutta heralded an important stage in the history of architecture of the subcontinent: the evolution of Western styles into forms which would become commonplace in the Indian context. This building depicted shows what became the conventional pattern, a two or three storeyed block, well-proportioned and set in a garden, and with columned verandahs protecting its rooms from the heat”. (Source: British Library)