After a hundred years of the East India Company’s administration, they were faced with widespread rebellion which threatened their hold over the subcontinent in 1857. Kings, queens, peasants, tribals and even sepoys under the employ of the Company rose up against them. Some have hailed the battles of 1857 as the ‘First War of Independence’. It is even regarded by many to have been the largest armed resistance to colonialism in the nineteenth century. Explore the varied narratives of the battles for freedom in the 19th century through selected artworks from the DAG collection.
SUGGESTED AUDIENCE
Learners in middle school and high school
SUGGESTED USE
Shedding light on the Revolt of 1857 by illustrating its profound impact on the lives of common people; visualising the underlying causes and wide-ranging consequences of the Revolt of 1857 in different parts of India and among various social groups; analysing the crucial role of journalism and artists in shaping the narrative of the Revolt; delving into the significance of visual arts and literature as influential mediums during that time; contemplating the nature of the revolt, viz war or mutiny; using artworks as prompts or resources to encourage students in conversation and contemplation or projects focused on the Revolt of 1857.
THOMAS J BARKER
The Relief of Lucknow & Triumphant Meeting of Havelock, Outram, & Sir Colin Campbell, November 1857- 1860
Engraving, tinted with watercolour on paper
27.5 x 49.2 in.
R. K. KELKAR
Mangal Singh Pandey, 1857 c. 1910
Offset print on paper
Print: 8.7 x 11.5 in. and Paper: 10.0 x 14.7 in.
ANONYMOUS
Attack of the Mutineers on the Redan Battery at Lucknow 1857
Etching and aquatint on paper
6.0 x 7.0 in.
CHITTAPROSAD
Untitled
Ink on scraper board
9.7 x 14.7 in.
LOOKING FURTHER
A researched round-up of primary and secondary sources from across the web on the Revolt of 1857.
SUGGESTED AUDIENCE
Middle school to high school learners and above.
SUGGESTED USE
Exploring further resources, viz documentaries, articles, tangible evidence of the events, and literature to delve deeper into different aspects of the larger topic; roadmap to exploring the topic beyond textbooks; providing inspiration and information to build inquistivity for projects.
The Beginning - 1857
Courtesy: Films Division
Delve into a cinematic journey as the narrator accounts the uprising of Indian rebels and how small events, for varied reasons, from across the nation, gained momentum and grew into a massive popular movement against British colonialism.
Do you think it was a mutiny? Or will you consider this as India's first war of independence?
Canning Indian Mutiny Collection
Museums Victoria Collection
Arms and weapons stand as enduring symbols of conflict and warfare. The collection of arms of Indian rebels, collected by the British as war booty, now displayed at Victoria Museum, is the tangible evidence of the uprising of the soldiers in 1857. Though these arms may not have matched the advanced weaponry of the British forces, they embody the indomitable spirit of the Indian rebels, who fought with unwavering courage and determination.
Bahadur Shah Zafar’s Poem About The 1857 Revolt & Dilli-The Garden Of Harmony
Rana Safvi Translates Zafar's Poem
Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor of India, vividly captures the anguish and oppression during and after the 1857 revolt with his poetic skills. Imprisoned and deprived of writing materials, Zafar's scribbling ghazals with charcoal on the walls of his room reflect the sacrifices made during the First War of Indian Independence. Discover the significance of this poem in honouring the memories of those who fought for freedom.
This painting commemorates the moment in 1857 when the siege of the British Residency at Lucknow by a section of mutinying Company soldiers was lifted. It was part of a series of events whose meaning has changed over time (and depending on the audience), from a ‘Mutiny’, ‘Revolt’ and ‘Rebellion’, to becoming an ‘Uprising’ and ‘First War of Independence’. The Swedish artist Egron Lundgren was in India during 1857. He may have been the only European to cover Lucknow ‘live’, through hundreds of quick sketches. Thomas Jones Barker used them to make the painting on which this print is based. Such prints circulated in the hundreds or thousands around the world.
YEAR
1857- 1860
MEDIUM
Engraving, tinted with watercolour on paper
27.5 x 49.2 in.
1 / 4
This popular print from the 1900s imagines a scene during 1857 from Barrackpore. The text on top identifies the main character as ‘Mangalsingh Pandey’. Mangal Pandey is symbolic of the many infantrymen in the Company’s armies in India who rebelled. By forcing soldiers to bite into rifle cartridges greased in cow or pig fat (banned to Hindus and Muslims for different reasons), the British upset Company troops from both communities.
YEAR
c. 1910
MEDIUM
Offset print on paper
Print: 8.7 x 11.5 in. and Paper: 10.0 x 14.7 in.
2 / 4
Published by the London Printing and Publishing Company, this etching presents a dramatic moment from the Revolt of 1857. The quotation in the caption, “One of their leaders waving his sword, shouted, ‘Come on my braves’” from Vide Reese’s narrative, echoes the language of sensational accounts which circulated during the war. This image uses the techniques of realism—detailed costumes and facial expressions—to make it look like an authoritative representation of the event. But images of the revolt, which featured widely in British accounts of the war, not only stereotyped Indians as incapable of military prowess but also fabricated incidents to suit the colonial propaganda against the mutineers.
YEAR
1857
MEDIUM
Etching and aquatint on paper
6.0 x 7.0 in.
3 / 4
Self-taught artist Chittaprosad is famous for his impactful portrayals of the Bengal Famine of 1943. He was also an avid caricaturist. He often meticulously documented political developments in India that had an impact on the marginalised. This woodcut by Chittaprosad depicts ‘The Santhal Rebellion’, which broke out in 1855. The Santhals got their land rid of landlords, moneylenders and policemen, fighting with self-created weapons like the bow and arrow against the British government for a year until they gave them concessions in terms of administration of the area. The Santals received a self-governing district named ‘Santal Pargana’ where they could follow their traditional social structures, and their revenue was collected by Santal majhis (headmen).
