James Atkinson, doctor, journalist and artist of the Afghan Campaign, became superintendent of the Government Gazette in 1818, and of the Press from 1823. In 1833, he became surgeon to the 55th native Infantry and between 1838 and 1841 served in Kabul. The present sketches are original drawings made by Atkinson on the spot and relate to his publications Sketches in Afghanistan and The Expedition into Afghanistan. The drawings are inscribed with references to the artist’s journal, and the artist’s notes explain where in his planned publication the various illustrations should appear. Clearly Atkinson intended many more drawings to be published than in fact appeared. His sketches in fact contain 25 drawings plus the original frontispiece (the original drawing for which is in this collection); 16 of the remaining original drawings are in the India Office Library. At the time when Atkinson was travelling Afghanistan was a little-known country. Atkinson took drawing lessons from the artist George Chinnery. He probably first met Chinnery in 1805 when he was appointed assistant surgeon at Backergunge, to the south of Dhaka, soon after Chinnery was in Dhaka from 1808. His wife became a student of the artist and Atkinson himself is known to have executed a number of copies after Chinnery in addition to his own original watercolours. ‘When, on the 21st, we moved round to the Caubul road, it was supposed, as before observed, that we had given up all thoughts of reducing the fort, and were proceeding to Caubul. The operations of that day on our part had impressed the garrison with the belief that, consistent with their own notions, the walls were really impregnable. And Gholam Hyder Khan, with the same sort of conviction, felt not the least apprehension or uneasiness, because, according to his father’s opinion, Ghizni could not be taken in less than a year. The first proof of the fallacy of this opinion, however, was shewn to the astonished governor, by the apparition of the storming party, after the gate had been blown open. This latter circumstance he had never dreamt of, and it filled him with confusion and terror. He then, seeing the game was up, with a few followers valiantly made the best of his way from the citadel, and secreted himself in the uttermost verge of the fort, the farthest from the scene of conflict. The dark recess in which he took inglorious refuge was at the bottom of some steps, which lead up to the rampart on the west side, close to what was called the Kinak gate. Its privacy was rendered perfect by an intervening court-yard, with a small door in the wall, facing the narrow filthy street. He was traced and discovered there in the course of the morning, crouching down, with a few matchlock-men in front of him. Upon information of his “whereabout” being given to Captain A. W. Tayler, of the Bengal European Regiment, and Captain Macgregor, Assistant to the Envoy and Minister, application was instantly made to Brigadier Roberts, to detach a strong party of sepoys with them to the spot. The matchlock-men offered resistance, but were overpowered, and the hero was withdrawn from his nest! I was anxious to see the place, and, accompanied by Captain Tayler, made a sketch of it, so nicely situated as it was for a refugium!’
J. Atkinson, Sketches in Afghanistan, London, 1842 J. Atkinson, The Expedition into Afghanistan, Notes and Sketches descriptive of the country contained in a personal narrative during the Campaign of 1839 and 1840, up to the surrender of Dost Mahomed Khan, The Naval Military Press, 2006, pages 215-16