Digital Rare Book :
India and its Native Princes. Travels in Central India and in the Presidencies of Bombay and Bengal
By Louis Rousselet
Published by Bickers & Son, London - 1882

Read book online:

http://bit.ly/2WFs263

Download pdf book:

http://bit.ly/2JgSgIV

Louis-Théophile Marie Rousselet (1845-1929) was a French traveller, writer, photographer and pioneer of the darkroom. His photographic work now commands high prices. Many of his drawings and photographs were made into engravings by others.

He was in India from 1864 to 1868 He spent much time in central India (Alwar, Baroda, Bhopal, Gwalior, Udaipur and several other cities in Rajasthan).

Roussellet wrote: "On 20 June 1863 I embarked at Marseilles on board the "Vectis", an English steamer bound for the East", he stopped off in Malta, Cairo and Aden, before boarding the "Malta" taking the Suez Canal to Bombay and India, "I intended to mainly visit all the northern region, which includes, besides the English Presidency of Bengal, the feudal states of Rajasthan, the Bundelcund, the Goundwana, The Punjab and the Kingdom of Nepal". He arrived at Bombay on 8 July 1863.

While in Bombay he met "Jules Henri Jean Schaumburg" (1839-1886) a Belgian, who was to be his travelling companion from May 1865 - Sept 1868. Schaumburg was later appointed as an artist to The Geological Survey of India in Calcutta.

His intention was for a 6-month trip but he stayed 4 years. He was only the second photographer (after Samuel Bourne) to do so. Both men's photographs were extensively made into etchings without attribution in many cases worldwide.

On arrival in India he decided to learn photography (October 1865) in order to supplement his diaries. after visiting the ruins at Dabhoi, he realized that his pencil sketches were not doing justice to the beauty of the elaborate architecture and carving. He was to write, "It was on seeing these generally unknown masterpieces at Dubbhoee that I regretted I had not the power of reproducing them by photography, and felt that it would be impossible to continue my explorations profitably without the assistance of that art. As soon, therefore, as I returned to Baroda, I applied myself seriously to learn photography; and with that view I procured from Bombay all the necessary apparatus".

He took more than 600 photographs. On his return to France he published excerpts from his Indian diary along with woodcut illustrations taken mostly from his sketches and photographs in a French weekly journal Le Tour du Monde. Many of the engravings were by Émile Thérond.

When in Bhopal in 1867, the two companions were presented with Sirdar costumes: "The glittering costumes ordered by the Queen consisted of long tunics of green silk gauze embossed with gold; vast petticoat pantaloons of crimson satin embroidered with silver, kumerbunds, or cashmere belts, of violet and gold, cloaks of deep scarlet-coloured cashmere embroidered with gold and silver, and to crown all, toque diadems in fine gold."

He first visited Banaras (Kashi) in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in 1868.

Rousselet then left India for the last time: "...and on the 1st September 1868, I went on board the "Labourdonnais" ... I had also to say good-bye to my good and faithful companion (Schaumburg), who was detained by fresh projects in the country. My old bearer Devi, the trusty servant who had followed me for two years through so many good and evil fortunes, was there also, melted in tears, and embracing my knees. At last the moment of parting arrived; the bell rang; I saw Schaumburg, and the old bearer pushing off in the boat, and waving me their last adieu."

- Wikipedia