A fine tinted engraving of a view of Shimla with the temple of Jakhu in the middle distance, from the private publication “Zur Erinnerung an die Reise des Prinzen Waldemar von Preussen nach Indien 1844-1846”, (In Memory of the Journey of Prince Waldemar of Prussia to India in the Years 1844-1846) which was printed posthumously in two volumes in 1853. It was based on the diary, essays notes and letters left by the Prince. The engraving is by A. Haun, after Ferdinand Bellerman from the original work by Prince Wilhelm Waldemar of Prussia, printed by the Konigl Lith Institute in Berlin 1854. This engraving is titled “Simla vom berghange des Djacko aus” (Shimla from the Jakhu mountain slope).
Shimla is the capital and the largest city in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on the south-western ranges of the Himalayas. Jakhu Temple (also Jakhoo Temple) is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman. It is situated on Jakhu Hill, Shimla's highest peak, and according to the epic poem the Ramayana, Hanuman stopped at the location to rest while searching for the Sanjeevni Booti to revive Lakshman who had been gravely injured on the battlefield.
Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Waldemar, son of Prince Friedrich Wilhelm Karl of Prussia, visited Sri Lanka, India and Nepal in 1844-1846. As was the Prussian aristocratic custom, he joined the military and by 1838, he had risen in ranks to simultaneously become a Major in the Guard-Dragoons and Commander of the 3rd Guard Militia. In 1844, he was promoted to Colonel of the Guard Artillery Brigade. That same year, he joined Eduard Graf von Oriola, a former captain on the General-staff, and Lieutenant Albrecht Wilhelm von der Groeben on a tour of India. Prince Waldemar maintained a travelogue during his journeys composed of his diaries and sketches of Egypt, Iraq, India, Calcutta, Delhi, Lahore, Bombay, Nepal, and other locations.
Ferdinand Konrad Bellermann (1814 – 1889) was a German painter and naturalist, who is most famous for his scenes of Venezuela, which have been sold at Sotheby's.
The German (Austrian) painter, lithographer and etcher, August Haun (1815–1894), studied under Karl Blechen and August Wilhelm Schirmer. He first displayed his works at the annual Berlin Academy exhibitions from 1836, starting with landscape drawings and then proceeding to genre scenes, architectural pieces and romantic landscapes.