The Government House, Fort St George, 1798

Coloured aquatint by and after Thomas Daniell. Published by Thomas Daniell, London. No 9 in the series 'Views in Fort St George and Madras, India, 1795-1856'.

The East India Company established a trading post at Madras in 1639 and the following year began work on Fort St George. The Company chose Madras as it wanted a port closer to the Malaccan Straits than its first settlement of Surat (situated on the west coast of India). In later years the fort settlement was developed and Government House was built with its grounds. The latter functioned as the headquarters of all Company activities in the Madras Presidency.