Fanny Parks · 1850

Wanderings of a Pilgrim, In Search of the Picturesque. During Four and Twenty Years in the East; with Revelations of Life in the Zenana

USD 8,250

Wanderings of a Pilgrim, in Search of the Picturesque

The first edition of Fanny Parks’s celebrated account of twenty-four years in India. A magnificent, two-volume travel memoir authored by Fanny Parkes Parlby (née Frances Susanna Archer, 1794–1875) and published as a first edition in 1850. A cornerstone text of 19th-century travelogue literature, it stands out as one of the most vivid, progressive, and intimately observed accounts of colonial India ever penned by a European woman. Publisher: Pelham Richardson, LondonPhysical Description: Two volumes, large octavo (approx. 280 x 185mm). Illustrated with 49 lithographic plates (many beautifully hand-coloured or tinted) derived from original sketches drawn from nature by the author, featuring panoramic fold-outs, architectural views, and a large folding map.

Arriving in Calcutta in 1822 as the wife of an East India Company official, Fanny Parkes spent 24 years traveling extensively through India. Unlike typical, isolated British memsahibs of the colonial era, Parkes completely immersed herself in Indian culture, learned fluent Urdu and Hindi, mastered horseback riding, and traveled independently across the subcontinent.Pieced together from her meticulously kept journals and long letters home, the work is highly celebrated for its extraordinary range:The Zenana Revelations: Parkes gained unprecedented access to the Zenanas (the private, secluded female quarters of Indian palaces, including that of the King of Oude), recording structural accounts of the domestic, political, and social lives of elite Indian women that were entirely hidden from male travel writers.Societal & Cultural Vignettes: The volumes feature highly detailed descriptions of local customs, religious festivals (such as Diwali), the rise of Thuggee cults, and interactions with the Mahratta military camps.Landscape Exploration: Her travels took her from the busy waterways of the Ganges to the remote heights of the Himalayas.Historical Significance & Market ValueParkes' work is considered a rare, culturally sensitive anomaly in the canon of British imperial literature. While she remained bound to her colonial identity, her travelogue explicitly challenges contemporary gender roles and demonstrates genuine reverence, empathy, and intellectual curiosity for the people and traditions of India.The book is exceptionally scarce in its complete first edition form. The vibrant lithograph plates, coupled with her distinct voice, make this a premier target for collectors of Orientalism, women’s history, and the history of the British Raj.

Edition

First edition

Condition

Very fine copy.

Status

On request