A view of the writers buildings in Calcutta.

A view of the writers buildings in Calcutta. © National Maritime Museum, London

Description: The artist James Fraser went to India as a merchant after his family lost money in their West Indian sugar plantations. The grandeur of Calcutta reflected the East India Company's increased wealth, power and prestige at the end of the 18th century, and the city was designed along classical lines by the company's engineers. The writers' buildings housed the Company's army of clerks and archivists.

Creator: James Fraser (artist), Robert Harell Jnr (engraver), Smith, Elder & Co. (publisher).

Date: c. 1780

Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London