Malcolm Hamilton Beattie British India: Figure Studies

An original c.1880s pen & ink drawing, M.H. Beattie, British India: Figure Studies.

An interesting small sheet of figures studies drawn in British India in the late 19th century. The artist is Malcolm Hamilton Beattie (1862–1941), who served with the Hooghly Pilot Service in Bengal from 1878 to 1913.

In 1935 Beattie published a book titled 'On the Hooghly', a retrospective account of his time in India, illustrated with drawings which he states were from 'my old sketch books'.

One of a collection that we have by the artist, some of the drawings directly correspond to illustrations in the book, but this particular drawing does not.

Malcolm Hamilton Beattie was born and schooled in the UK, before joining the training ship, Worcester, lying off Greenhithe in 1876, aged fourteen. In 1877 the Indian Government decided to recruit the Bengal Pilot Service from the training ships Worcester and Conway; the following year Beattie sailed for the East on board the P&O Peshawur. In 1887 he married Maria Isabel Lindquist and had four sons born at Calcutta. As was common, the boys were sent to England for their schooling, at Eastbourne College, and by 1935 Malcolm Beattie had also returned to the UK, living at Burntwood, Eastbourne.

There are partial ink sketches on the verso. Please note the small size of this artwork.