View of the French settlement of Chandernagore (Bengal) - 28 October 1868.

Watercolour painting of the French settlement of Chandernagore by Stanley Leighton (1837-1901) dated 28 October 1868. Inscribed on the mount in pencil is: 'French settlement of Chandernagore on the Hooghly. Wed. 28 Oct. 1868.'

The former French colony of Chandernagore is situated on the bank of the Hooghly River near Calcutta in north-eastern India. Chandernagore was one of a number of competing European enclaves in this area. It was founded in 1673 and gradually expanded to become a great commercial centre. Chandernagore was handed back to India after a referendum in 1950 but still retains the churches, cemeteries and convents of the French.

Source : British Library