Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton
JHC63
Darjeeling, India
JDH/1/10 f.162
Hooker (nee Henslow), Frances Harriet
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
25-4-1849
© Descendants of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
Indian Letters 1847-1851
The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
English
Contemporary MS copy
2 page letter over 1 folio
 

JDH describes the portrait Mr Tayler is painting of him. The scene is JDH’s camp in a forest after a supposed day of collecting in the snowy Himalaya mountains & features: JDH’s Lepcha Sirdar presenting him with a bunch of Dendrobium nobile; the Ghorkha [Gurkha], Havildar & Lepchas in their uniforms; JDH’s Bhotea dog; bamboos, ferns &rhododendrons. JDH also describes the combination of Thibetan [Tibetan]& English clothes he is wearing for the portrait, including a hat mounted with a silver pebble & peacock feather as marks of rank. Illustrated with a sketch of the hat.

Transcript

*1
To Miss Henslow
Darjeeling, April 25. 1849
X X X I am sitting for my picture to Mr. Tayler, who is living in Darjeeling practicing most industriously his favourite pursuit, and getting up a series of the most beautiful water--color drawings of Himalayan scenery, & the habits & manners of the English and the natives: he is pleased to desire my sitting as a specimen; & I was very happy to gratify him. The picture is 3 feet long, or thereabouts. I am sitting in the fore--ground, surrounded by my Lepchas & the romantic looking Ghorkha [Gurkha] guard, inspecting the contents of a vasculum full of plants which I have collected during the supposed day’s march. My Lepcha Sirdar (which means great man’s head--man) is kneeling before me on the ground, taking the plants out of the box; that in his hand being a splendid bunch of (Dendrobium nobile) he is picturesquely attired in costume, with a large pigtail. Another is behind me: the Ghorkha, Havildar & Lepchas, in their picturesque uniforms, are looking on; and my big Bhotea dog lies at my feet. On one side, two other Lepchas are making my blanket--tent--house, cutting Bamboos, &c. I am in a forest, sitting on the stump of a tree, with the Snowy mountains in the background; & a great mass of ferns and Rhododendrons brought in by another man are on the ground close by me. My dress was the puzzle, but it was finally agreed that I should be as I was when in my best; a Thibetan [Tibetan] in the main, with just so much of English peeping out as should proclaim me no Bhotea; and as much of the latter as should vouchsafe my being a person of rank in the character. So I have on a large loose worsted Bhothea cloak, with very loose sleeves: it is all stripes of blue, green, white, and red, & lined with scarlet. Enough is thrown back to shew[sic] English pantaloons, & my lower extremities cased in Bhothea boots:-- my shirt collar is romantically loose and open, with a blue

Page 1

*1
To Miss Henslow
Darjeeling, April 25. 1849
X X X I am sitting for my picture to Mr. Tayler, who is living in Darjeeling practicing most industriously his favourite pursuit, and getting up a series of the most beautiful water--color drawings of Himalayan scenery, & the habits & manners of the English and the natives: he is pleased to desire my sitting as a specimen; & I was very happy to gratify him. The picture is 3 feet long, or thereabouts. I am sitting in the fore--ground, surrounded by my Lepchas & the romantic looking Ghorkha [Gurkha] guard, inspecting the contents of a vasculum full of plants which I have collected during the supposed day’s march. My Lepcha Sirdar (which means great man’s head--man) is kneeling before me on the ground, taking the plants out of the box; that in his hand being a splendid bunch of (Dendrobium nobile) he is picturesquely attired in costume, with a large pigtail. Another is behind me: the Ghorkha, Havildar & Lepchas, in their picturesque uniforms, are looking on; and my big Bhotea dog lies at my feet. On one side, two other Lepchas are making my blanket--tent--house, cutting Bamboos, &c. I am in a forest, sitting on the stump of a tree, with the Snowy mountains in the background; & a great mass of ferns and Rhododendrons brought in by another man are on the ground close by me. My dress was the puzzle, but it was finally agreed that I should be as I was when in my best; a Thibetan [Tibetan] in the main, with just so much of English peeping out as should proclaim me no Bhotea; and as much of the latter as should vouchsafe my being a person of rank in the character. So I have on a large loose worsted Bhothea cloak, with very loose sleeves: it is all stripes of blue, green, white, and red, & lined with scarlet. Enough is thrown back to shew[sic] English pantaloons, & my lower extremities cased in Bhothea boots:-- my shirt collar is romantically loose and open, with a blue

Page 2

neckerchief, which, my projecting shirt--wrists, shew[sic] the English man. My cap is also Thibetan and only to be described thus. [a small illustration of a cap with a feather in appears here] It is of thick, pale grey felt -- the upturned border stiff & bound with thin black silk ribbon -- on the top is a silver mounted pebble, & a peacock’s feather floats down my back-- the latter are marks of rank. X X X

ENDNOTES


1. This letter is a copy, written in a hand not that of the original author, JDH, and is unsigned.

Please note that work on this transcript is ongoing. Users are advised to study electronic image(s) of this document where possible.

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