Portrait of Kamtoo, a jemadar in the service of Hamilton & Co., three-quarter-length , in a dark blue alkhalak trimmed with gold embroidery and red piping, holding a Hamilton & Company Catalogue

The sitter Kamtoo was a Rajput hill man from Simla, employed as a travelling jemadar with the well known silversmiths and jewellers, Hamilton & Co., between 1860 and 1885, whose head office was at that time situated in Old Court House Street in Calcutta. As well as premises in Calcutta and Bombay, Hamilton's also had a shop in Simla. Although the term jemadar was a rank for a native officer in the army, it was also widely used in a less official sense, sometimes to mean a head servant. An old letter with a Calcutta address and an indistinct signature accompanying the picture identifies the sitter and states that 'he was instrumental in obtaining the order for the Bahawalpur Cawn in 1875 and his portrait was painted on his retirement'. It appears that Kamtoo must have paid a significant role at Hamilton's to warrant having his portrait painted.
Little is known about the artist although three portraits were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London in 1869, 1876 and 1877. A signed picture of The Nizam Of Hyderabad at a Tiger Hunt, inscribed and dated 'Hunamcoumda 1891-2' appeared on the market in 1975.