Samuel Shelley has successfully captured the sun-kissed complexion and self-satisfied air of this smartly dressed gentleman, George Powney, whose family had long established connections with India. His parents, Thomas Powney and Catherine de la Metrie, married, raised their family and died in Madras. Thomas was a prosperous free merchant and, like his brother before him, was appointed Mayor of Madras. George, their first child, was born in 1762.George would have been educated in England before he joined the East India Company as a writer in 1779. He was then appointed Paymaster of the Troops at Travancore a position he only held for a few years. The death of his father in 1782 would have secured him financially and in 1789 he married Eliza Louisa Wynne Masters in Calcutta. George was then 27 but his bride was just 14 years old. The couple had twin daughters and a son. Perhaps due to Eliza’s very young age when they married, the couple were subsequently married again in 1809 upon th...