Artists in India produced books of images, called ‘company paintings’, as souvenirs mainly for the British. They tended to depict local tradesmen, famous buildings and scenes from everyday life.

This volume was given to a boy called Evan Meredith Thomas for his first birthday, by his father. Evan Aubrey Thomas was serving with the military in Mhow when his son was born in 1884.

Art historians have described how painting styles evolved in response to European tastes, influencing later generations of Indian artists whose paintings became more westernised.

BECC 2012/004/24