Stephen Ponsonby Peacocke - Artworks

Artworks

In the early days, only about 15 years after the founding of Ootacamund, Captain Peacocke created 17 drawings of historic landscape views in the Nilgiri Hills during a medical leave spent at Ootacamund in the late 1830s. Peacocke's lithographs reflect the romantic escape to a temperate hilly area that all Britishers in the plains yearned for in those days. It was a home away from home. Furlough was usually only every 5 years or so but there was the nearby refuge of the cool climate of the Indian hills to seek, especially Ooty with its downs, Primulas and strawberries growing wild.

In May 1847, the imperial folio; Koondah Ranges, Western Ghauts, Madras, at & about the Stations of Ootacamund and Conoor, and the Segoor, Koondah and Conoor Passes, with vignette title page and sixteen large (54 centimeters (21 in) x 38 centimeters (15 in)) plates after Peacocke was executed in the best style of tinted lithography printed on card stock, with added hand colouring, in contemporary half morocco leather binding with gilt spine for the price of £2, 12s. 6p. The set was published by the lithographer, Paul Gauci, 9 North Crescent, Bedford Square, London.

There are three notable features in all the Peacocke drawings. First, the play of sunlight in the background of these landscapes is realistic and supplies the title the Sunlit Hillscapes to this series. The soft but brilliant glow of light in the South Indian hills is beautifully captured by the artist in each of the drawings. Second, the graphical perspective in his topographic representations is very lifelike. The elevations and distant houses are all in proportion and scale. The distant views, with scale and depth, give drama to Peacocke's landscapes. Third is attention to detail away from the central focus of the work. For example in View in the Hills, Hullikkul, one can see that the hills to top left are dotted about with houses, not apparent on a cursory glance, all perfectly positioned, topographically, and in perspective. Capt. Peacocke was trained in surveying in the Army and used this training to good effect in his Neilgherry views.

Other than their 1847 publication, the lithographs are undated and the sequence of the original paintings is unknown. In an advertisement in Allen's Indian Mail the lithographs are listed in the following order:

1. Vignette title-page, with a view of a halting place between Avalanche and Sispara. (This may be Bangitappal)

2. General View of Ootacamund.

3. Avalanche.

4. View amongst the Hills, near Hullikul.

5. Bearer's godown at the Avalanche

6. Toda Mund and Todas Ootacamund

7. View from the Upper Bungalow, Conoor

8. View over the Native Village, Conoor.

9. View near Hullikul with the Koondah Range and Peak

10. View Of Conoor from the Oota Road

11. Traveller's Bungallow, Sispara.

12. View in the Koondhas, near Sispara.

13. Mr. Grove's House, Waterfall Kaitee.

14. Road Cut between Ootacamund and Conoor

15. View of the Low Country Conoor Pass.

16. Waterfall near Bungallow.

17. View at Ootacamuud, Nilligierries.