The King's Palace in the Kaiser Bagh, Lucknow, 1858

Photograph by Felice Beato (1825-1907), Indian Mutiny (1857-1859), 1858.

Built by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah between 1848-1850, Kaiser Bagh was one of the most remarkable palace-garden complexes ever made, consisting of huge courtyards with fantastic buildings on all sides. Pathways through the various courtyards of the garden were intended to be indirect and zigzaging to confuse visitors. The palace complex itself was an exotic blend of styles with Ionic columns, Moorish minarets and Hindu arches and pediments.

The Kaiser Bagh, with its many enclosures, courtyards and pathways, was the scene of fierce fighting during the Indian Mutiny and proved difficult to capture during Sir Colin Campbell's final assault on Lucknow in March 1858. Once it was secured, the British ransacked and looted the complex.