View of the Brahmaputra and Himalaya mountains from Dibrugarh (Assam)

Watercolour by Edward Augustus Prinsep (1828-1900), of the Brahmaputra and Himalaya mountains from Dibrugarh in Assam, dated c.1848. The image is inscribed on the front in ink: 'The Burhampootra & Tibet mountains from Dibrooghur, Assam.' This view shows the Himalayas, 'the abode of snow', the highest mountain range in the world, which is situated between the Indus and Brahmaputra, 'son of Brahma', rivers. Assam is famous for its tea plantations and Dibrugarh, situated on the Brahmaputra river, is the biggest tea exporting city in India. Edward Augustus Prinsep came from a family who served in India for several generations. His father was William Prinsep, who worked for the Calcutta firm of Palmer & Co., and his uncles included James, a noted scholar, antiquarian and Assay Master at the Benares and Calcutta Mints, and Thomas, Surveyor of the Sunderbunds, the marshes near Calcutta.