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Edmund W Smith, Portfolio of Indian Architectural Drawings: Part I, Issued by the Government North-West Provinces and Oudh, London: W H Allen & Co.; Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co.; Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co.; Bombay: Thacker & Co., Ltd. and Allahabad: The Supt. Govt. Press, North-West Provinces and Oudh, 1897

Title page, [2], 52 loose photolithographed plates by W Griggs including 50 black and white plates and 2 colour plates (plate nos. 39 and 40) each measuring 56 x 38.2 cm; loose as issued in publisher's portfolio cloth with ribbon and gilt text on the front board measuring 22 x 15 x 1 in (56 x 38.2 x 2.8 cm)

ARCHITECTURAL MASTERY AT THE MUGHAL ZENITH: SMITH’S FATEHPUR SIKRI PORTFOLIO, 1897

A visually striking portfolio presenting measured architectural plans, elevations, sections, and decorative details from significant North West Provinces and Oudh monuments. The illustrations are complemented by descriptive text, providing context and analysis that enhance the understanding of each structure. Subjects include the Turkish Sultana’s House (Pls.1–7), Rajah Birbal's House (Pls.8–20), Jodh Bai's Palace (21–26), The Jama Masjid (27–38), Salim Chisti's Tomb (39–47), and Sikanadra, near Agra (48–52). Each of the high precision of Edmund W. Smith’s drawings and Griggs’s photolithographic reproduction reflects the Archaeological Survey of India's scholarly rigour at the turn of the century.

Commissioned by the Government of the North-West Provinces and Oudh in 1897, Portfolio of Indian Architectural Drawings: Part I was conceived not merely as a visual supplement to the Archaeological Survey of India’s reports but as a landmark effort in architectural education and documentation. The plates in this portfolio were originally drawn to accompany Edmund W. Smith’s The Moghul Architecture of Fathpur-Sikri, published under the aegis of the Archaeological Survey. However, recognising the limitations imposed by the smaller format of the official reports (13 x 9.75 inches), the Government authorised the reproduction of a curated selection of drawings at a much larger scale, thereby enhancing their practical application for architects, engineers, craftsmen, and students of Indian art and architecture.

The portfolio brings together a sequence of finely rendered architectural plates—plans, elevations, sectional drawings, and ornamental details—documenting key Mughal structures of Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar’s short-lived yet architecturally resplendent imperial city built between 1565 and 1605. Sometimes likened to Pompeii for its evocative abandonment, Fatehpur Sikri reflects the Mughal school at its artistic and structural zenith. Rather than presenting a superficial survey, this portfolio focuses on a handful of emblematic monuments, including the Turkish Sultana’s House, Rajah Birbal’s House, Jodh Bai’s Palace, the Jama Masjid, Salim Chishti’s Tomb, and Akbar’s own tomb complex at Sikandra. Each building is rendered with exacting draughtsmanship and is supported by detailed analytical drawings to elucidate their spatial logic and decorative sophistication.

Of particular note are plates XXXIX and XL—executed in colour via chromolithography by the eminent firm of W. Griggs & Sons—which reproduce original painted wall decorations, capturing the vibrant surface ornamentation that once defined these imperial spaces. The reliance on painted embellishment rather than structural excess was a hallmark of Akbari design, and these colour plates serve to restore some of the lost chromatic splendour of the original interiors.

The drawings were produced under Smith’s close supervision by a team of native draughtsmen, many of whom were trained in Indian Schools of Art before entering the Archaeological Department. Their work reflects not only technical mastery but also a deep cultural fluency in interpreting historical Indian forms. Griggs’s workshop, noted for their excellence in photolithographic reproduction, took great care to preserve the precision and delicacy of these original renderings.

More than a technical portfolio, this work represents a high point in Indo-British archaeological collaboration and visual scholarship—intended not merely for colonial archives but as a working reference for builders, scholars, and connoisseurs. Today, it survives as one of the most enduring testaments to late 19th-century efforts to document, preserve, and transmit the architectural legacy of Mughal India.

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