Indian man ironing laundry, 1860 (c)

Gouache on mica, 1860 (c).

From a collection of miniatures illustrating different castes, servants, tradesmen and transport in India compiled by Surgeon W H Rean, Madras Fusiliers and 9th Madras Native Infantry.

Deputy Surgeon General William Henry Rean (1827-1908) gained his MRCS (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons) qualification in 1852 while working at the Middlesex Hospital. He became a Doctor of Medicine and an Assistant Surgeon at St Andrew's in 1853. He gained a commission as a prize at the Middlesex Hospital. As a member of the Madras Medical Service he served with the Madras Fusiliers during the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859), and later with 9th Madras Native Infantry. He gained the rank of surgeon in 1865, retiring in 1868 as a deputy surgeon general. He died in London on 6 February 1908.