Darjeeling, or The Bright Spot, India, 1850

Darjeeling, or The Bright Spot, India, 1850 This wood engraving, published in The Illustrated London News in February 1850, presents a panoramic view of the Himalayan hill station of Darjeeling, its winding valley dotted with colonial bungalows, a hillside church, and a distant hilltop fort beneath the snow-capped peaks of the eastern Himalaya. Nicknamed “the bright spot” by Victorian readers for its cool climate and lush greenery, Darjeeling had recently been developed as a sanatorium retreat for British colonial officials recovering from the heat of Calcutta, roughly 370 miles to the south.

Darjeeling, or The Bright Spot, India, 1850. Historic Landscape Engraving Canvas Print.