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James Baillie Fraser
James Baillie Fraser (11 June 1783 – 23 January 1856) was a Scottish travel writer, and artist who illustrated and wrote about Asia Minor, Iran, India and Kurdistan. Some of his watercolours made in the picturesque style represent early views of India and Iran. He was a brother of William Fraser.
During his travel to Mashhad, he converted to Islam at the Imam Reza Shrine in 1822.
James was born at Reelig in the county of Inverness. He was the eldest of five sons of Edward Satchwell Fraser (1751–1835) and his wife Jane. He grew up on the family estate and studied under a tutor in Edinburgh.
He lived from 1799 to 1811 in Guiana to oversee the sugar plantations that they owned in Berbice. He returned from the West Indies in 1806 due to ill health. All of his brothers travelled in the East and had successful careers.
James' father had mortgaged the family estate to buy the sugar plantation in the West Indies. When sugar prices collapsed due to overproduction, they mortgaged the plantation and soon ran into debts.
In early 1813 James set sail for India, hoping to set up a trade business in Calcutta to help pay off the family debts. His ship ran into a sandbank off Madras and he was finally able to reach Calcutta only in October. The trade venture did not do well and failed the next year.
In January 1815 he went to join his brother William (assassinated in 1835 possibly at the behest of Shams-ud-Din, Nawab of Firozpur who believed that William prevented him from inheriting title and wealth) who was posted in Delhi. His brother was a Writer to the East India Company. His work in Delhi dealt with land survey and settlement and involved being out in the field and meeting people.
William had demonstrated his excellence in Indian languages and customs and he maintained local artists to draw portraits in what is now called the "Company school" style. William was also a keen outdoorsman who went tiger hunting on foot. William had Indian mistresses or bibis although little is known about his children. He was also a close friend of James Skinner, a Scottish soldier born to a Rajput mother. Skinner raised the cavalry regiment known after him as Skinner's Horse and James was later to write a memoir on his life.
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James Baillie Fraser
James Baillie Fraser (11 June 1783 – 23 January 1856) was a Scottish travel writer, and artist who illustrated and wrote about Asia Minor, Iran, India and Kurdistan. Some of his watercolours made in the picturesque style represent early views of India and Iran. He was a brother of William Fraser.
During his travel to Mashhad, he converted to Islam at the Imam Reza Shrine in 1822.
James was born at Reelig in the county of Inverness. He was the eldest of five sons of Edward Satchwell Fraser (1751–1835) and his wife Jane. He grew up on the family estate and studied under a tutor in Edinburgh.
He lived from 1799 to 1811 in Guiana to oversee the sugar plantations that they owned in Berbice. He returned from the West Indies in 1806 due to ill health. All of his brothers travelled in the East and had successful careers.
James' father had mortgaged the family estate to buy the sugar plantation in the West Indies. When sugar prices collapsed due to overproduction, they mortgaged the plantation and soon ran into debts.
In early 1813 James set sail for India, hoping to set up a trade business in Calcutta to help pay off the family debts. His ship ran into a sandbank off Madras and he was finally able to reach Calcutta only in October. The trade venture did not do well and failed the next year.
In January 1815 he went to join his brother William (assassinated in 1835 possibly at the behest of Shams-ud-Din, Nawab of Firozpur who believed that William prevented him from inheriting title and wealth) who was posted in Delhi. His brother was a Writer to the East India Company. His work in Delhi dealt with land survey and settlement and involved being out in the field and meeting people.
William had demonstrated his excellence in Indian languages and customs and he maintained local artists to draw portraits in what is now called the "Company school" style. William was also a keen outdoorsman who went tiger hunting on foot. William had Indian mistresses or bibis although little is known about his children. He was also a close friend of James Skinner, a Scottish soldier born to a Rajput mother. Skinner raised the cavalry regiment known after him as Skinner's Horse and James was later to write a memoir on his life.
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