Archives and Modern Manuscripts Image of the Month: Pagoda at Pa-Li-Chuang

Constance Gordon-Cumming drew this image of a pagoda for an article she published in The English Illustrated Magazine in 1888 entitled ‘Pagodas, Aurioles and Umbrellas.’ The article relates to the history and cultural significance of these three rather random items in Asia.

One of twelve children born into the wealthy family of Sir William Gordon Gordon-Cumming of Altyre and Gordonstown and his first wife, Eliza Maria, Gordon-Cumming received her early education at home where she taught herself to paint, with the help of several visiting artists, including Edwin Landseer.  In 1868 she was invited to spend a year in India with her half-sister. During her journey to the sub-continent she caught the travel-bug and for the next twelve years she prevailed upon the well-connected contacts in her address book to facilitate her world travels.  She spent two years in Ceylon with the Bishop of Colombo, before travelling to Fiji where she stayed with the first governor.  He introduced her to the bishop of Samoa with whom she toured the South Sea islands in a French Man-of-War. From there she travelled to California and spent time painting in the Yosemite Valley before sailing to Japan.  Gordon-Cumming then travelled extensively in China before returning to Britain.  Her last trip was instigated by an invitation from General and Mrs Ulysses Grant in 1879 who invited her back to California.  She then managed to fit in a trip to Hawaii before returning to Scotland. 

Her later life involved writing numerous books describing her adventures in such intense detail that they are unfortunately virtually unreadable, and arranging the exhibition of the numerous watercolours she had produced on her travels.