A Zemindar, or Farmer, and a Puthan

The two men shown here are a zamindar (zemindar), or landowner, and a Pathan (Puthan), a member of a particular Afghan tribe. The title given to this work identifies the zamindar, at left, as a farmer. Many zamindars did not actually work their own lands, instead deriving much of their wealth from rents paid to them by tenant farmers.

A short description on the reverse of this print notes that the Pathan, at right, was famous for his abilities as a wrestler. As British forces during the colonial period became engaged in complicated political and military struggles in Afghanistan and Pakistan-the traditional Pathan homelands-Pathans themselves came to be characterized as fierce warriors. The artist, Emily Eden, was probably aware of this characterization, as she depicted this Pathan carrying a gun and a menacing sword.

Eden lived in India between 1836 and 1842 while her brother, Lord Auckland, served as Governor General. During her travels she produced numerous sketches depicting the people she encountered. Shortly after her return to England, a portfolio of prints based upon her drawings-and from which this image comes-was published under the title Portraits of the Princes and People of India.