This drawing represents, immediately below the Balla Hissar and contiguous to the residence of the Envoy and Minister, the quadrangle occupied by the Durbah-Khaneh and the Harem Serai. In the balcony is seen His Majesty Shah Shoojah, seated on his throne, and the manner in which the Khans and Officers of state are daily assembled before him, while the Royal Band, which is composed of huge toms-toms and long brass tubes, continues playing in the most horribly discordant manner with all the power that muscular arm and stentorian lung can give, from the deepest bass to the most shrill treble. This music is considered an essential part of regal state and is repeated several times during the day, and commencing at two o’clock in the morning much to the discomfort and annoyance of Christian ears. Sketches in Afghanistan, Henry Graves & Co. and W.H. Allen & Co., London, 1842. Letterpress title printed in blue incorporating list of plates, tinted lithographic title, dedication leaf, 25 tinted plates by Louis and Charles Haghe. This is one of the earliest collections of views of Afghanistan. James Atkinson, the celebrated translator of Firdausi’s Shah Nameh and one of the first Europeans to explore Afghanistan, was on of the pioneers of oriental studies. The lithographers Louis and Charles Haghe were involved in a number of important publications in the 1840’s and 1850’s and are celebrated for the particular high quality of their work.