An Indian Gentleman smoking a hookah. A coloured print, circa 1824

A Native Gentleman smoking a Goorgoory or Hookah in his private Apartmentsattended by his Dancing Girls.

The coloured print, along with a page of description,  comes from a defective and damaged copy of The Costumes and Customs of Modern India by Charles D’Oyley and Capt Thomas Williamson published about 1824 by Edward Orme of Bond Street, London. The page size is 14½ x 10¼ ins but the paper is degraded and chipped at the edges outside the plate marks and there is some old worm damage to the top left margin, not affecting the image itself. The plate, number nineteen from the book, could be improved when trimmed with some of the trimmimgs put behind  the holes to the left margin and  put into a frame or window mount. The engraving was done by Clark & Dubourg. A full description of the book appears in Abbey Travel 440.  The colouring of the plate is especially well done.  jan27/4