‘Controlling the Narrative’: art and early East India Company texts - Seminar

Before founding its private army in South Asia in 1746, the East India Company was primarily a trading body. During this pre-military period, it published two booklets that shaped the way its early history was perceived. The first, located in the Durham Special Collections, is titled A True Relation of the Unjust, Cruell, and Barbarous Proceedings Against the English at Amboyna' (1623). The other is titled A True and Genuine Narrative of the... Ship Sussex.. by John Dean (1740).  

This talk examines these "true" narratives alongside some of the most overlooked primary sources on EIC history: oil paintings commissioned by the Company's directors for display inside East India House.  These booklets and artworks alongside EIC records reveal how a multinational corporation augmented its reputation before a mercantile audience whilst masking alternative narratives. 

To attend in person or online. Please contact nesouthasia.gmail.com