Drawings by Douglas Hamilton


There are at least two hundred and twelve detailed drawings by Douglas Hamilton of South Indian landscapes, game animals and forestry operations. Eighty seven of Hamilton's careful drawings of the Annaimalai Hills, Palani Hills and Shevaroy Hills are in the British Library, ninety six drawings were published in his autobiography, Records of Sport in Southern India... and an additional thirty one were published in Forests and Gardens of South India.
Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas Hamilton was a British Indian Army officer, gazetted to the 21st Regiment of the Madras Native Infantry from 1837 to 1871. Hamilton was a well known forester, surveyor and illustrator of the early British hill stations in South India and a famous sportsman, shikari, big-game hunter and trophy collector. He was an acute observer of nature and a gentleman.
Though executed only in pen and ink or pencil, these drawings have artistic merit due to the artists skillful use of hatching and stippling to achieve realistic texture, shading and perspective. Hamilton's illustration of subjects and backgrounds that are unfamiliar to most people, creates initial interest in his drawings. His effective portrayal of actual or implied recent or future dramatic action heightens the viewers interest in his subjects. Hamilton selected his sketches that best illustrate scenes in his writing. This implies there were also additional drawings, however their existence is now unknown.

Government drawings

In 1862 Colonel Hamilton was relieved of routine regimental Army duties and given a roving commission by Sir Charles Trevelyan, the Finance Minister of India and former Governor of Madras Presidency, to conduct surveys and make drawings for the Government of all the hill plateaus in Southern India that might suit as Sanitaria, or quarters for European troops. Thereafter, Douglas Hamilton was on "special duty" with the 44th Regiment, Madras Native Infantry.
A series of five albums of careful drawings of the Annaimalai Hills, Palani Hills and Shevaroy Hills was the result of this commission. While at work on this commission he had great opportunities to follow his favorite pursuit of big game hunting, and also to observe the habits of the various animals inhabiting the different districts. These well-known drawings showed him as an accurate observer and a careful draughtsman. Each series of drawings was accompanied by a Survey article describing all aspects of the district. Some of his publications about these surveys include:

Albums at British Library

The India Office Records in the at the British Library has five albums of Hamilton's work that include eighty six drawings. These albums are:
;12 Drawings in the Shevaroy Hills -
WD1351, Hamilton, Douglas is an album of 12 pen and ink drawings of landscapes in the Shevaroy Hills made in 1861. The 24 folio volume is entitled: Sketches of the Shevaroy Hills by Lieut-Col. Douglas Hamilton, Madras army. 1861.
Printed descriptions are attached to each picture. Size of the volume is 22.5 by 31.75 inches.
It was deposited in the British Library on 4 June 1866. These drawings are:
;26 Drawings in the Palni Hills -
WD566, Hamilton, Douglas is an album of 26 pen and ink drawings of views in the Palni Hills. This 60 folio volume of views in the Palni Hills was made in 1862, with printed titles and descriptions and some drawings inscribed with titles in pencil. Size of the volume is 20 by 25 inches. It was deposited c. 1866. These drawings are:
;17 Drawings in the Palni Hills -
WD1350, Hamilton, Douglas ; is an album of 17 pen and ink drawings of landscapes in the Palni Hills, 1862, Volume entitled: Sketches of the Pulni Mountains. Printed descriptions are attached to each picture and there are pencil descriptions on the sketches. Size of the volume is 22.5 by 31.75 inches, deposited c. 1866. These drawings are:
;17 Drawings in the Anaimalai Hills -
WD567, Hamilton, Douglas is an album of 17 pen and ink drawings of views in the Anaimalai Hills 1863. European school / British school, 1863, with printed titles and descriptions. All signed: ‘D. Hamilton delt.’ Size of the volume is 20.75 by 14.5 inches. It was deposited c. 1866. These drawings are:
;15 Drawings in the Anaimalai Hills -
WD568, Hamilton, Douglas ; is an album of 15 pen and ink drawings of views in the Anaimalai Hills. 1863, with printed titles and descriptions.. Size of the volume is 22 by 28.5 inches. These drawings are:

''Records of Sport''

Hamilton's brother Edward was the editor of Douglas Hamilton's 1892 autobiography, "Records of Sport in Southern India, Chiefly on the Annamullay, Nielgherry and Pulney Mountains, also Including Notes on Singapore, Java and Labuan,...". It is about "years long gone by when the muzzle loader, with all its drawbacks, was the chief weapon in use." All ninety five drawings in Records of Sport... were taken from his sketch books. All scenes illustrated in these drawings are based on the actual hunting experiences of Colonel Hamilton described in full detail in his Autobiography.
Those he drew in Indian ink were transferred as facsimiles by means of photo-etching. The others, sketched in pencil, were copied by Mr. J. T. Smit with such care and accuracy that the touch, as well as the spirit, of the original sketches was fully retained. The three plates of the two species of florican and of the jungle cat are from drawings made expressly for Records of Sport by Mr. Smit. Several types of big game are the primary subject of most of these Drawings. Only a few of the drawings overlap with those in the India Office collection. He also drew several landscapes of Singapore, Java and Labuan during his visit there in 1848. The Drawings are:

Galleries of 95 drawings

PREFACE
  1. The Pillar Rocks, Pulney Mountains... xiii
  2. Water Fall near the Village of Killiyur...viii
  3. View in the Valley of Perumbookarnal, Pulney Mountains...xv
  4. Lake of Yercaud, Shervaroy Hills...xviii
  5. The Upper Falls, near Muddikull, Bababoopen Hills...xxxvi
CHAPTER I. - Shooting Antelope
  1. Stalking Antelope with Pony...1
  2. Spearing the Antelope...5
  3. The Silver Grey Fox...7
  4. Oh, Great King, Don't be Angry...9
  5. Cheeta Stalking Antelope...10
  6. The Kill...11
  7. The Mountain Antelope...14
CHAPTER II. - Wolves, Wild Dogs, Boars, Mongoose, Small Game Shooting
  1. Wolves Watching Antelope...19
  2. Wild Dogs...25
  3. Mungoose and Cobra...28
  4. Rather a Stopper...31
  5. A Brave Boar...33
  6. The Lesser Florikin...36
  7. The Bengal Florican...36
CHAPTER III. - Sporting Trip to the Dandilly Forest
  1. The Bungalow, Dandilly Forest...39
  2. "I Just saw His Head and Horns"...44
  3. "Emam Took up the Track"...47
  4. An Unexpected Meeting...50
CHAPTER IV. - Singapore, Java and Labuan
  1. The Wart Hog of Java...59
  2. The Smero from Paparawang...62
  3. Birdseye View of the Crater of the Bromo...68
  4. Outline of the Smeroe and the Bromo...68
  5. Lake of Ranio Clakka...72
  6. Principal Figure in the Temple of Sookoo...77
  7. Stone Slabs in the Temple of Sookoo, showing the manufacture of the Kriss....78. to face
  8. After Deer, Bandoeng...84
  9. Curious Hat of the Rusa Deer in Java...89
  10. The Big Boar of Labuan...95
  11. Nests of a Diminutive Bee found at Labuan...96
CHAPTER V. - Bears
  1. He tried hard to get at us through the Bamboos...99
  2. "He was upon me at once"...104
  3. "I didn't do it, Ma!"...107
  4. I could Hear the Bones Breaking...110
CHAPTER VI. - Ibex Shooting on the Nielgherries, Annamullais, and Pulnies
  1. The Ibex, Male and Female...111
  2. The Ibex Hills, Annamullies...117
  3. My First Ibex...120
  4. The Hut, Pykara...122
  5. The Old Saddle-back...124
  6. I take off my Shoes...127
  7. A Close Shave...129
  8. The Ibex Stalker...135
CHAPTER VII. - Elephants
  1. The Knowing Old Engineer...142
  2. Diagram for Elephant Shots...145
  3. I try to drive him Home...149
  4. Charging a Bull Bison, 20 September 1856...151
  5. The Tables Turned...154
  6. We held on like "Grim Death"...154
  7. Help ! Help ! !...155
  8. We Secure him at last...155
  9. Heels over Head...157
  10. The First Shot at the Great Tusker...159
  11. The Death of the Great Tusker of Hassanoor...160
  12. "BAFFLED"...164
CHAPTER VIII. - Tigers, Leopards etc.
  1. Tigers and Sambur...173
  2. The Cheeky Rascal...185
  3. A Most Magnificent Bound...188
  4. The Vultures Bring Him Out...189
  5. Rather a Surprise...191
  6. The Mid-Day Siesta...192
  7. I staring at him, and He Glaring and Growling...197
  8. He stopped to look at me...200
  9. What I saw one Morning...202
  10. He stood to Listen205
  11. Face to Face...209
  12. I could have Slapped its Face...220
  13. The Jungle Cat...223
  14. It will Sit and Watch on a Crag...224
  15. The Black Leopard...225
  16. The Black Leopard— His Death...226
  17. The Leopard's Ride...228
  18. Leopard on Bough...232
  19. My Last Leopard...235
CHAPTER IX. - The Bison of Southern India
  1. Head of a Bull Bison...236
  2. Skull and Horns of Bison...238
  3. I Plunged My Hunting Knife Into His Side...243
  4. A Big Bull Bison staring at me...245
  5. A Tall Shot...246
  6. Not the pleasantest Moment of my Life...248
  7. A dead Bull...248
CHAPTER X. -
  1. The Sambur buck and doe...252
  2. Head and Horns of the big Antler Stag...258
  3. The Unheeded Warning...262
  4. His Last Leap...265
  5. Puzzled...268
  6. Snob and the Stag...269
  7. "Now Bounding into the Air"...271
  8. The Deer Stalker...278
  9. The Axis or Spotted Deer...279
  10. The Jungle Sheep...280

    ''Forests and Gardens of South India''

In 1861, 13 plates and 17 figures of drawings by Douglas Hamiton were published in The Forests and Gardens of South India written by his friend and co-conservator Hugh Francis Cleghorn. Several of the drawings were lithographed by Mr. W. H. Macfarane, Edinburgh. Most of the drawings were technical illustrations of forestry operations, though some depicted landscapes of forested areas. These drawings are:
;Plates:
;Figures

Self-portraits

Hamilton often portrayed himself in his drawings. He is shown at different times with mutton chop sideburns or a full beard. He is almost always shown holding his rifle and facing to the right. These self-portraits are cropped from drawings in Records of Sport...: