India

Antique Views of India

This category showcases original antique views and prints of India, capturing cities, architectural landmarks, river scenes and landscapes as seen by artists, travellers and surveyors from the 18th through 19th centuries. During this period, India was a focal point of European exploration, trade and colonial administration, and these images reflect the region’s profound historical significance.

Many Indian views were produced from sketches made on site and later translated into engravings or lithographs for atlases, travel books and illustrated works. Subjects range from bustling port cities and grand mosques to sacred riverbanks, forts, bazaars and cultural processions, offering a multifaceted visual record of life and place.

Antique views of India are prized for their detailed portrayal of familiar places and their capacity to convey the diversity of society, landscape and architecture across the subcontinent. As original period works on paper, they provide collectors and historians with insight into how India was perceived, visualised and communicated to audiences around the world.