The birds on the top of the Writer's Building are Adjutant storks which were commonplace in the 19th century but no longer appear in this part of India. The Writers Buildings in Tank Square were where the clerks from the East India Company were sent when they first arrived from England. The clerks lived and worked in the buildings until they could afford to find lodgings elsewhere.
This watercolour shows the artist Philip Charles Trench being carried to the Writer's Building. His initials can be seen on the trunk that is being carried behind the palanquin. Trench arrived in Calcutta in 1828 to join the Bengal Civil Service and lived in this building.
See lot 35 for another watercolour of Trench