The Late Maharaja Runjeet Singh

Emily Eden lived in India between 1836 and 1842, while her brother, Lord Auckland, served as governor-general, and she documented her Indian experiences both in writing and painting. Shortly after her return to England, a portfolio of prints based on her drawings was published under the title Portraits of the Princes and Peoples of India.

Eden met Maharaja Ranjit Singh near the end of his life, noting in a journal entry:

Thursday, November 29, 1838: “Runjeet [sic] had no jewels on whatever, nothing but the commonest red silk dress. He had two stockings on at first, which was considered an unusual circumstance; but he very soon contrived to slip one off, that he might sit with one foot in his hand comfortably.”

Like other observers of the court, Eden noted the maharaja’s simplicity of attire and his modest way of life, all the more remarkable in the midst of the splendid and magnificent attire of his family members, courtiers, and other imperial figures.