View of Ootacamund, with the figure of a Toda in the foreground

Ootacamund (Ooty) is the famous hill station near the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, 2268 metres above sea level in the Nilgiri Mountains. It was founded by the British in the early part of the 19th Century to serve as the summer headquarters of the government of Madras. It soon became the principal hill station in South India during the Raj. Before that time, the area was inhabited by the Todas, a tribal people who still live there today. The Todas were polygamists and workshipped buffaloes. This picture was painted for George Hay, the Marquess of Tweeddale (1787-1876), who was Governor of Madras from 1842 to 1848. It is an accurate early representation of the hill station and shows all the houses on the ordinance survey of that time, including Woodcock Hall, which was the Marquess's own residence. The view is taken from above the present Government House looking north-east.
This view is a rare example of Lewis's landscape painting. He spent the years from 1842 to 1845 in Madras where his patrons also included Lord Elphinstone, the predecessor of Lord Tweeddale. For information on the artist see preceding lot.