Colesworthey Grant (sometimes spelt Colesworthy; 25 October 1813 – 31 May 1880[1]) was an English artist, writer and pioneer activist against cruelty to animals in India. Teaching himself art and sketching, he produced numerous portraits of many early East India Company servants of influence in Calcutta which were published in the local periodicals of the time. He later became a professor of drawing. He founded the "Calcutta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals" in 1861 after seeing the sorry conditions especially of draught animals on the streets of Calcutta.
Portrait from the frontispiece of the biography by Peary Chand Mitra (1881)
Memorial obelisk in Calcutta. The watering trough at the base and the lantern holders are now missing.
Grant was born in London to a Scottish father who manufactured mathematical instruments and a mother of Welsh ancestry. He arrived in India at the age of nineteen and joined his brother George who was a clock and watch-maker in Calcutta. Colesworthey was injured in the spine from a fall during one of his exercise sessions and could not walk straight after that. He took an interest in sketching and began to contribute to the India Review from 1838 through Dr Fred Corbyn and later to the Calcutta Monthly Journal. These early works included portrait sketches of many eminent persons who lived in Calcutta. He later became a professor of drawing at Presidency College.[1] Grant also illustrated Dr. Frederic J. Mouat's Atlas of Anatomy.[2]
Colesworthey Grant was chosen by Lord Dalhousie to accompany the Ava mission to Amarapura in 1855 along with Arthur Phayre. Paid 500 rupees a month, he was to document the places for the report and was also instructed to attempt the use of photography. The use of photography however was finally done by Linnaeus Tripe who also joined the mission.[3]
Grant was moved by the injuries and mutilations he saw to street animals, particularly draught cattle and horses, inflicted mostly by their owners and keepers.[4] The founding meeting for the Society met on 4 October 1861 and was chaired by Archdeacon Pratt. The other twenty attendees included Alexander Duff, Dr Mouat, Major C. Herbert, and several others including an Armenian (later the first non-European sheriff of Calcutta for 1866) Seth Arratoon Apcar; Indians Peary Chand Mittra, S. P. Sagrande, M. Rustomjee, Rajali Pertaup Chunder Sing Bahadoor and Moulvie Abdool Lotiff.[5] The aim of the society was to "prevent the cruel and improper treatment of animals, and the amelioration of their condition generally throughout India" by among others establishing paid European officers to enforce those who were guilty of ill-treating animals and educating the public. Lord Elgin later became a Patron of the society.[6] Grant published a text for children on animal cruelty that was to be used in Sunday schools. One of the major causes of injury to draught animals was overloaded carts. The Municipal Commissioners of Calcutta were forced to use improved carts with a single bullock having leather collars while the Indian Carrying Company began to use four-wheeled carts that took the load out of the animals. Around 1877 two more societies were established at Madras and Bangalore.[7] Towards the end of his life Grant received an Honorary Diploma from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A memorial obelisk was erected near Writers' Building in Calcutta with a watering trough at its base for animals. His position as secretary was succeeded by Peary Chand Mittra who also wrote a biography of Grant.[8]
Worksedit
Speede, G. T. Frederic S. Barlow; et al. (1840). Indian Handbook of Gardening ... With illustrations ... To which is added, an Hindoostanee and English Vocabulary of horticultural and agricultural terms. Calcutta. (Illustrator)
Rough Pencillings of a Rough Trip to Rangoon in 1846. 1853. ISBN9781297904301.
Rural Life in Bengal: Illustrative of Anglo-Indian Suburban Life : More Particularly in Connection with the Planter and Peasantry, the Varied Produce of the Soil and Seasons; with Copious Details of the Culture and Manufacture of Indigo: Letters from an Artist in India to His Sisters in England. W. Thacker & Company. 1860.
Anglo-Indian Domestic Life: A Letter from an Artist in India to His Mother in England. Subarnarekha. 1862.
Portrait sketches of the public characters of Calcutta, published in the "India Review", "India Medical"... from 1838 to 1850. s.n. 1863.
To the children of Calcutta. On cruelty, by the hon. secretary, Calcutta society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. 1872.
Chakrabarti, Pratik (2010). "Beasts of Burden: Animals and Laboratory Research in Colonial India". History of Science. 48 (2): 125–152. doi:10.1177/007327531004800201. PMC2997667. PMID 20582325.
Mittra, Peary Chand (1881). Life of Colesworthy Grant. Calcutta: I.C. Bose and Company.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Colesworthey Grant.
Anglo-Indian domestic life : a letter from an artist in India to his mother in England (1862)
Rough pencillings of a rough trip to Rangoon in 1846 (1853)
Index to portraits
January 01, 1970
colesworthey, grant, sometimes, spelt, colesworthy, october, 1813, 1880, english, artist, writer, pioneer, activist, against, cruelty, animals, india, teaching, himself, sketching, produced, numerous, portraits, many, early, east, india, company, servants, inf. Colesworthey Grant sometimes spelt Colesworthy 25 October 1813 31 May 1880 1 was an English artist writer and pioneer activist against cruelty to animals in India Teaching himself art and sketching he produced numerous portraits of many early East India Company servants of influence in Calcutta which were published in the local periodicals of the time He later became a professor of drawing He founded the Calcutta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1861 after seeing the sorry conditions especially of draught animals on the streets of Calcutta Portrait from the frontispiece of the biography by Peary Chand Mitra 1881 Contents 1 Biography 2 Works 3 Gallery 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksBiography edit nbsp Memorial obelisk in Calcutta The watering trough at the base and the lantern holders are now missing Grant was born in London to a Scottish father who manufactured mathematical instruments and a mother of Welsh ancestry He arrived in India at the age of nineteen and joined his brother George who was a clock and watch maker in Calcutta Colesworthey was injured in the spine from a fall during one of his exercise sessions and could not walk straight after that He took an interest in sketching and began to contribute to the India Review from 1838 through Dr Fred Corbyn and later to the Calcutta Monthly Journal These early works included portrait sketches of many eminent persons who lived in Calcutta He later became a professor of drawing at Presidency College 1 Grant also illustrated Dr Frederic J Mouat s Atlas of Anatomy 2 Colesworthey Grant was chosen by Lord Dalhousie to accompany the Ava mission to Amarapura in 1855 along with Arthur Phayre Paid 500 rupees a month he was to document the places for the report and was also instructed to attempt the use of photography The use of photography however was finally done by Linnaeus Tripe who also joined the mission 3 Grant was moved by the injuries and mutilations he saw to street animals particularly draught cattle and horses inflicted mostly by their owners and keepers 4 The founding meeting for the Society met on 4 October 1861 and was chaired by Archdeacon Pratt The other twenty attendees included Alexander Duff Dr Mouat Major C Herbert and several others including an Armenian later the first non European sheriff of Calcutta for 1866 Seth Arratoon Apcar Indians Peary Chand Mittra S P Sagrande M Rustomjee Rajali Pertaup Chunder Sing Bahadoor and Moulvie Abdool Lotiff 5 The aim of the society was to prevent the cruel and improper treatment of animals and the amelioration of their condition generally throughout India by among others establishing paid European officers to enforce those who were guilty of ill treating animals and educating the public Lord Elgin later became a Patron of the society 6 Grant published a text for children on animal cruelty that was to be used in Sunday schools One of the major causes of injury to draught animals was overloaded carts The Municipal Commissioners of Calcutta were forced to use improved carts with a single bullock having leather collars while the Indian Carrying Company began to use four wheeled carts that took the load out of the animals Around 1877 two more societies were established at Madras and Bangalore 7 Towards the end of his life Grant received an Honorary Diploma from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals A memorial obelisk was erected near Writers Building in Calcutta with a watering trough at its base for animals His position as secretary was succeeded by Peary Chand Mittra who also wrote a biography of Grant 8 Works editSpeede G T Frederic S Barlow et al 1840 Indian Handbook of Gardening With illustrations To which is added an Hindoostanee and English Vocabulary of horticultural and agricultural terms Calcutta Illustrator Rough Pencillings of a Rough Trip to Rangoon in 1846 1853 ISBN 9781297904301 Rural Life in Bengal Illustrative of Anglo Indian Suburban Life More Particularly in Connection with the Planter and Peasantry the Varied Produce of the Soil and Seasons with Copious Details of the Culture and Manufacture of Indigo Letters from an Artist in India to His Sisters in England W Thacker amp Company 1860 Anglo Indian Domestic Life A Letter from an Artist in India to His Mother in England Subarnarekha 1862 Portrait sketches of the public characters of Calcutta published in the India Review India Medical from 1838 to 1850 s n 1863 To the children of Calcutta On cruelty by the hon secretary Calcutta society for the prevention of cruelty to animals 1872 Gallery edit nbsp A portrait of the future Maharaja Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal 1850 nbsp A portrait of Sher Singh Attariwalla 1850 nbsp A jemadar of the 8th Bengal Irregular Cavalry 1855 nbsp A watercolour of a Manipuri cavalryman in Burma 1855 nbsp Watercolour with pen and ink of a kyaung Buddhist monastery at Amarapura Burma 1855 nbsp A watercolour of the king s palace in Amarapura Burma 1855Notes edit a b Mittra 1881 p 80 Mittra 1881 p 15 Hall D G E 1932 The Dalhousie Phayre Correspondence 1852 1856 London Oxford University Press p 332 Chakrabarti 2010 Mittra 1881 p 20 Mittra 1881 p 22 Mittra 1881 p 63 Mittra 1881 p 83 References editChakrabarti Pratik 2010 Beasts of Burden Animals and Laboratory Research in Colonial India History of Science 48 2 125 152 doi 10 1177 007327531004800201 PMC 2997667 PMID 20582325 Mittra Peary Chand 1881 Life of Colesworthy Grant Calcutta I C Bose and Company External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Colesworthey Grant Monument in Calcutta Anglo Indian domestic life a letter from an artist in India to his mother in England 1862 Rough pencillings of a rough trip to Rangoon in 1846 1853 Calcutta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Index to portraits Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Colesworthey Grant amp oldid 1195132511, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
