Vasco da Gama landing at Calicut

What it is

This is a painted illustration from a 1911 history of India by T. H. Mannerhow, with pictures by Allan Stewart. It shows a sea scene: two sailing ships with white sails and red pennants, and a red open boat with a yellow flag, crowded with turbaned men rowing over choppy blue water toward a sandy shore. The book's surrounding text is general history, not a record of this event.

Why it matters

The picture links Vasco da Gama to Calicut, the Indian port where European ships arrived by sea. Because it appears in a book from the British colonial period, it shows how a British-era history in 1911 chose to picture the encounter. The accompanying text also connects India's past to Alexander the Great, Muslim lords in northern India, and the French and British struggle over Asian trade.

Look closer

• What do the men in the boat seem to be doing, and how does the artist make the scene feel active?
• Who made this picture in 1911, and why might a book about India show an arrival from Europe in this way?
• What does the picture leave out, such as the people who lived at Calicut?