The Court and Camp of Runjeet Sing

Osborne, the military secretary to the governor-general Maharaja Sher Singh is shown here in a book published before his accession to the throne. He is described only briefly, as a “fine, manly-looking fellow,” who showed “much attention” to the Europeans in the Sikh capital, and “attachment to their manners and customs.”

Sher Singh’s claim to the throne was contested, and he assumed the rulership only after a bloody battle. He was assassinated in 1843.

Osborne, the military secretary to the governor-general of India, was part of an official British mission sent to secure an alliance with the Sikhs. Extracts from Osborne’s personal journal, together with sixteen of his drawings, were published. His writing and illustrations offer the perspective of a Western colonial observer of India.