Through the Eyes of Mohamet

Maya Carranza

To me, the painting titled “Oriental Scenery” best illustrates Dean Mohamet’s letters. In The Travels of Dean Mohamet, Dean Mohamet constantly talks about the military and soldiers which can be seen set up along the coast in the image. In Letter III he writes “The camp extended in two direct lines, along the river, on the banks of which, for the convenience of water, were built by the Europeans.” (39). Mohamet’s letters and the paintings depict the colonization occurring right before Mohamet’s eyes. Likewise, he mentions “tents” which are also seen in the image. Continuing onto Letter VIII, Mohamet recalls “an elegant building finished in the English style” like the white buildings found in the picture. This represents the way in which Europens have stolen and established colonies in lands of other people for centuries. With that being said, all these elements caused me to choose the painting. Through Mohomets letters he details his first hand experience of the formation of military forces by Europeans. 

Effigy of the Father

Letter 1 at its core is a loving effigy to Mahomet’s father. For that reason, I will argue the Calcutta painting is the one most suitable for understanding his depiction of India. “[My father] was appointed… …a company of which under his command was quartered at… …an inconsiderable fort, built on the side of a little river” (Mahomet 35). Here, he describes something akin to a military port with a fort built next to the waters. Obviously, the painting’s water is more akin to a sea, however, a fort can clearly be seen to the right of and behind the tree. In addition, the fort is built next to a body of water and neither of the other three paintings has such a feature, thus this painting is more suitable for Mahomet’s depiction of India.

Now, to tie Mahomet’s love for his father into his depiction of India to finish off this post. He describes his father as “gallant”, “honourable”, and “his tender regard” (Mahomet 36). He even describes his father’s death as having a huge impact on him, “yet I recollect well no incident of my life ever made so deep an impression on my mind” (Mahomet 36). How this relates to his depiction of India is that he uses much the same language to describe the imagery of India. When comparing Ireland to India he writes, “I found the face of everything about me so contrasted to those striking scenes in India” (Mahomet 34). The language he uses is poetic and utilizes imagery to convey his ideas. Thus for these reasons, both for the love of his father and the love of his country, I conclude that this painting is the one that is most suitable to represent Mahomet’s depiction of India.

-FM Radio

Reframing the Human/Nature Binary in

by Isaac Gallegos R.

In viewing how different the relationship between man and nature can be, it can be interesting to see the subtle, nuanced, and idealized views we have of our natural surroundings from different cultural and national perspectives. From the Western perspective, what is more important has become the industriousness of each and every individual: the subsequent polluting of Great Britain and its stripping of natural resources isn’t viewed in horror, but is deemed a socially positive force, because through such means has Britain become as powerful as it could have, and now all sorts of avaricious delights and commodities are availble to the very few and successful entrepreurs. That is the great irony held inside “the picturesque”: within Britain only in ruinous, forgotten states can nature be fully, and abely present. This idealization of an almost “mourning nature”, with all of its vines and foliage dominating cracked buttresses and marble arcs, is almost completely absent within Dean Mahomet and his idealization of India. The greatest difference between Britain and India is that for the Mughal empire, humanity does not have to die for nature to live — they coexist. For example, consider Dean Mahomet’s first letter and how he addresses the elusive “sir”, saying:

“Since my arrival in this country, I find you have been very anxious to be made acquainted with the early part of my Life, and the History of my Travels: I shall be happy to gratify you; and must ingenuously confess, when I first came to Ireland, I found the face of ever thing about me so contrasted to those striking scenes in India, which we are wont to survey with a kind of sublime delight, that I felt some timid inclination , even in the consciousness of incapacity.”(pg. 31)

Through a close reading of Mahomet’s admission of his initial anxieties, it is important to realize the comparison and contrast of both Ireland and India. He writes that since his arrival in the country, he has been very anxious, especially because every “face of every thing about” Mahomet contrasts him, and it contrasts those “striking scenes in India”, and most importantly in his admission, he says “which we are wont to survey with a kind of sublime delight”(pg. 31) Through this juxtaposing of Indian and Irish surroundings, as well as with the extreme appeal of the “picturesque” that romantisizes the complex Occidental relationship with nature, it is important to understand that Mahomet also experiences the beauty of nature, yet the Mughual empire’s relationship to nature, with it’s prolific Bayan trees and tropical climes, replicates an idealized Edenic identity that is warranting to “survey” India with a “kind of sublime delight”. That is why “Coaduwar Gaut”, painted by Thomans and William Daniell allows the audience to understand this symbiotic relationship the average Mughal man has with nature, idyllically basking in both warmness and shades, with the immersive beauty of an abundant, healthy nature is known, unlike the already dying ecological corpse that was Great Britan (a small price paid for the industriouness of the Englishman).

Travel the World, Meet New and Interesting People…

And then exploit them.

By Will Darpinian

Imperial Britain as a colonizing power needs little introduction. During the 18th and 19th centuries, “the sun never sets on the British Empire” was a classic by-line of their global dominance. We see this in the reflected view of Sake Dean Mahomet in his book The Travels of Dean Mahomet which is written as personal letters compiled into a travelogue.

In Letter 11 (XI) of this sequence, Mahomet begins “Our stay in Calcutta was so short, that I have been only able to give you some account of the town, forts, and environs; and am concerned that I could not contribute more to your entertainment, by a description of the manners of the people.” He then goes on about said manners for about a thousand words in that letter, undermining a mere “some account,” while conveniently and clearly demonstrating both the pretense and the central assertion of his entire endeavor in writing this travelogue. He wishes to perform for an imagined Western audience who he believes will be entertained by these accounts, and to find the place where the interests of this audience will intersect with his own image of India.

Thomas and William Daniell published View Taken on the Esplanade, Calcutta (https://transnationalencounterswithislam.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/image-3.png) which provides a central focus on human artifice, unlike other works which they had produced contemporaneously. The white sails off the coast of Calcutta provide a similar image which Mahomet begins to draw of Calcutta in Letter 11. Mahomet writes that “the houses [of Calcutta] are neat, but not uniform; as every dwelling is constructed according to the peculiar fancy of the proprietor: those of the merchants are, in general, on a good plan, and built of fine brick made in the country; and such as have been erected by the servants of the [British East India] Company, near the town, are very handsome structures.”

Giving special attention to the role of the British and the East India Company in particular and where they are situated in Calcutta is not the focus of his narrative, but Mahomet always manages to tie in a European presence where it exists (even if solely in the form of military camps and so on). This is similar to the dominating view of military galleons in the Daniell painting above, where the grandeur of the frigates off the shore dwarfs the actual structures and people on the land and the landscape itself is dominated by the suggestion of European presence. The military is, here, depicted as regal and righteous in the contrast: it is a matter of spectacle and grandeur, with the galleons dwarfing even the small buildings visible along the coastline and especially the people. The ships blend with the landscape as if they belong there, an extension of the scenic vista that the artist portrays.

Mahomet has particular ideas about what would interest a British readership, but he is often too focused on pleasing these particular ideas without nuance. As he says, he is “concerned [he] could not contribute more to your entertainment” (Letter XI) in his long and exhaustive-to-the-point-of-rambling descriptions of various facets of Indian life. This, of course, is a fundamental mistake in assessing his readership: the exploitation of Imperial Britain was not a seduction but a conquest, and while the fascination of the Orient is present in some audiences it is not a primary motivation. Seduction involves the winning over of agency willingly, while conquest is simply agency’s removal by force. The British engaged in the latter, while Mahomet alludes to a focus upon the former in his Letters. Contemporary disinterest in his works likely stemmed from this overemphasis on what Mahomet thought, as a subjugated person, would be a desirable performance. In reality, the glory of conquest and white sails upon the horizon outweighs the lengthy historical demonstration of (frankly lacking) respect for the personhood of other cultures in the imperialist mentality, especially in British-ruled India.

Mahomet and Thomas & William Daniell

Of the 4 Thomas and William Daniell paintings, the one that brings to mind Mahomet’s writing is “Coaduwar Gaut” as it depicts a serine countryside which is something that Mahomet frequently describes in his writing. This can be seen as early as the first letter in which he states that “You will here behold the generous soil crowned with various plenty; the garden beautifully diversified with the gayest flowers diffusing their fragrance on the bosom of the air”. In other words, he is praising the natural beauty of India which, as the letters progress, we see that he has a habit of doing. The lush green landscape of “Coaduwar Gaut” is certainly brought to mind whenever Mahomet does this however in that painting we can also see a tent set up in the middle of the field with various people around the tent some of them sitting and enjoying the shade. This brings to mind the way in which Mahomet was touring India with the British and although it was with the army his descriptions of nature almost make his voyage seem to be for the purpose of leisure. A notable example of this comes in letter VI when he writes “the weather was very warm, we advanced slowly, and found it exceedingly pleasant to travel along the roads shaded with the spreading branches of fruit-bearing trees” and although this is a march with the army one could easily mistake it as a description of a picnic with the way Mahomet describes it. Something that Mahomet and the painting both seem to shy away from is depicting the harsh realities of India as Mahomet talks about the famine, caused by the East India British Company, very briefly and the painting gives no hint of hard times. Despite the company being the cause of famine in his country Mahomet does not seem to care as he views the company in a positive light and as aforementioned he hardly speaks of the famine anyway. Therefore the painting and Mahomet’s writing are similar in the sense that they both offer selective views on India.

The Lens of India Through Dean Mahomet

By: Suki Kaur

In my opinion, the most intricate and suitable picture of India would be the ”Coaduwar Gaut.” I say so, because of how Dean Mahomet first introduces how gatherings in India are always celebrated with family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. “Possessed of all that is enviable in life, we are still more happy in the exercise of benevolence and good-will to each other, devoid of every species of fraud or low cunning. In our convivial enjoyments, we are never without our neighbors; as it is usual for an individual, when he gives an entertainment, to invite all those of his own profession to partake of it (35). I feel like this quote and the picture are relative because of the claims that Dean Mahomet makes regarding social events, something that is viewed as a fancy yet respectable gathering amongst the Indian community. And then in Dean Mahomet’s second letter he mentions a gathering or social event at the Royal Palace, ”The Gentlemen go to the palace between seven and eight o’clock in the evening, take tea and coffee, and frequently amuse themselves by forming a party to dance; when they find themselves warm, they retire to the palace yard, where there are marquees pitched for their reception;….” (37) Adding on, this quote also gives a more detailed explanation of what social gatherings looked like in India.

Is it a Chapel, Mosque, or Sacred Building?

Sake Dean Mahomet alternates between the loyalties of being a well-off Mulsim Indian man and working under the East India Company’s Bengal Army. As such, he provides descriptions of India to appease his European audiences, yet the genuineness of an Indian citizen, meaning that Mahomet is acting as a marker of authenticity for what is “real” India while being burdened with the stipulations of representing the East India Company in India. However, Mahomet does not outrightly other India into the orientalist narrative to make India something already known to his Western audience but instead captures India as something relatable to the West and familiar to his Eastern audience (as much as possible with the censoring of Britain’s imperialism). 

This relatability and familiarization can be seen in letter 16, where Mahomet goes into great detail to illustrate an Islamic practice of circumcision for a child, even describing the three ceremonial baptisms beforehand, yet avoiding the word mosque. Mahomet instead writes, “But to return—the child was conducted in this manner to a chapel, at the door of which he alit, assisted by his four relations, who entered with him into the sacred building…” (Letter XII). Although he describes a practice that can be familiar to an Eastern audience, Mahomet chooses the word chapel rather than a mosque. The mere absence of the word mosque in the entirety of the letter and the use of a chapel or sacred building pushes the Western audience to view this practice as similar, as relatable, making the image of India a place to relate to. Near Currah, on the River Ganges, by T. Daniell, 1795-97, best emulates Sake Mahomet’s portrayal of India as a place that can be relatable to the West yet identifiable to the East. At first glance Near Currah, on the River Ganges, can be mistaken for any other painting of Britain with elements like a religious building on top of a hillside, a focus on the ecology of the landscape, and the inclusion of people in action, which are visuals the West is all too familiar. However, despite being so similar to British landscapes, the mosque replacing a chapel or the distinct style of the boat indicates that it is not Britain yet, in essence, it feels like it is.

By Chelsey Olivarria

Near Currah, on the River Ganges, by T. Daniell, 1795-97

St. Catharine’s Hill near Guilford (Liber Studiorum, part VII, plate 33)
Designed and etched by Joseph Mallord William Turner (British, London 1775–1851 London)

I found these illustrations to be very similar and wanted to share them.

Romanticizing India

by Serena Johnson

Coaduwar Gaut.” Plate 14 in Twenty Four Landscapes. Views in Hindoostan. Drawn and engraved by Thomas & William Daniell.  London, 1807.

Of the four Daniell’s paintings, “Coaduwar Gaut” is the only one that captures the dramatically figurative description given to us by Dean Mahomet in his first letter. The message most implicit in the painting is one of “benevolence and good-will” (Mahomet, Letter I) between the inhabitants. Although we cannot see any facial expressions, nobody in the foreground of the painting is alone and we can even see a couple of people in the center waving at others. Mahomet confirms this when he says “we are never without our neighbors,” implying that life is community-oriented and relatively harmonious. In regards to the physical landscape, Mahomet gives an extremely romantic description. He oddly mentions John Milton and the Garden of Eden to touch on his idealization of nature. The Garden of Eden is a major setting in Milton’s Paradise Lost, and the painting definitely embodies the lavish, green, and untainted appearance of the infamous garden. Mahomet mentions that there are “beautifully diversified” gardens and flowers everywhere, seen not only in the front of the painting but also in the middle and background. What the painting fails to represent that I found in Mahomet’s description is the condemnation of classism and rejection of industrialization. In order to do so, the painting would have to take the form of poetry in which we can visibly see the people either ignoring or rejecting objects that symbolize Occidental power. It could be possible that whatever location was the inspiration for this painting did not have any kind of Occidental influences, but with other paintings we have seen, there is almost always some kind of intrusion by the artist in order to put themselves into a painting that was otherwise intended to depict the Oriental. Mahomet, ironically, uses a Western author in order to describe the landscape – but not in a way that praises Milton more than what he was describing.

Skin Tones and Social Statuses: Suddars vs Bramins vs Imperialists

By: Liliana Silva-Vazquez

As discussed in class, Thomas and William Daniell’s paintings use the Sublime to highlight untamed nature, emerging “civilizations,” and minimized humans. On that note, I found Dean Mahomet’s minimization of Indian people to just their class goes hand in hand with the painting “View Taken on the Esplanade, Calcutta” (1797). This is because it’s the only painting where we get clear indications of the people’s class based on what features the Daniells gave them. 

Such as the clearly darker skin tones of the men on the left who seem to only be wearing shorts and headcovers (possibly turbans but the pixels don’t show much). They are also propped up against a palankeen which is an indicator of their social statuses: servants aka the Sudders. Due to these features, I instantly thought of when Deam Mahomet first described his experience with Sudders when being carried on a palankeen in which they, “suddenly [took him] away to a field…[and] rifled [him] of what money [he had in his] pocket, and every garment on [his] body” (47). Of course, anyone would be upset about being robbed and stripped almost completely naked, but his next descriptions of the Suddars were almost worse. He described them as “merciless savages,” “inhuman,” “savage,” “licentious barbarians,” “jackals,” and “ferocious animals” (47-8). Going back to the painting, dark skin tones and low-class standings are often associated with savagery and uncivilization, and based on their placement–leftmost campers–they are the furthest away from the new-looking imperial buildings. This distance could represent the social distance that Suddar Indians had from the Europeans as well as the upper-class Bramins. In addition, another figure stood out to me which was the figure in all white which looks to be the possible rider of the palankeen that was “missing.” I came to this conclusion as the white material could be a feature of an upper-class Indian or military officer, like Dean Mahomet, as only they would have the means to wear such a fragile color. 

Lastly, the other Suddar who is also dark-skinned and has goats with him is placed directly under the only tree in the area as opposed to the overwhelming sea and sky that juxtapose it. I think this represents Western expansion because of how much room the ocean scenery takes up in the painting as well as the many, many ships coming into the port. Just as the Sublime represents the savagery of nature, the tree and mowed grass (the “wilderness” of India) was already in the process of being “civilized” with the expansion of the West which has also contributed to Dean Mahomet’s colorist mindset.

Experience Tranquility: Dean Mohamet’s Portrayal of Rural India

Christopher Banda-Farrar 

Throughout Dean Mohamet’s travels of India, he makes constant references to the lush, green-ness of India and, despite the circumstances, the pleasure he took in passing through these types of environments. More specifically, looking at letter VI when his company is running through a series of Indian settlements through the Chrimnasa plains, he describes the exotic overshadowing trees bearing different types of fruit and various places for rest. “As the weather was very warm, we advanced slowly, and found it exceedingly pleasant to travel along the roads shaded with the spreading branches of fruit-bearing trees, bending under their luscious burthens of bananas, mangoes, and tamarinds. Beneath the trees, were many cool springs and wells of the finest water in the universe, with which the whole country of Indostan abound”. He seems to also make a point that those inhabiting this rural area utilize these sources of refreshment well, essentially suggesting that this is not just one specific place in India bearing this kind of “fruitful” environment. The beautiful, bountiful plains of India being a source of comfort for Dean Mohamet is touched on various times throughout the reading so much that he makes it sound like a sort of paradise in a way. Having camped alongside the Ganges, he describes his experience as a state of tranquility, not a word that he would use lightly. Being in such a place overcome with green essence and this place obviously containing inhabitants of their own, he doesn’t seem to have much of a care for them either since there is apparently no need to compete for sustenance and such. It is almost literally as if the land he is in is symbolism for “there is enough to go around”, he doesn’t have to concern himself with conflict. 

Personally, I found his description to be strikingly similar to Coaduwar Gaut.” Plate 14 in Twenty Four Landscapes. The overbearing descriptions Mohamet gives of lush plains with low hanging trees on hills with enough refreshment for every traveler that passes through seems to hit right on the nose with this painting. At least for me the piece appears to be the very thing Dean Mohamet is describing and is trying to give us the feel for India, pure tranquility and satisfaction without having to identify with worldly concerns or competitiveness. Those engaging themselves with this lend live by it, it almost feels like the portrayal of India here is describing it as a world of its own and that is something I identify in the painting above as well. Its almost too perfect to miss the correlation between these two.