View of Seringapatam, with English soldiers overlooking Indian cavalry

Seringapatam is an island fortress on the river Gaveri just north of Mysore where Tipu Sultan, one of the last powerful sovereigns in southern India whose kingdom had posed a significant threat to British military power, held his last stand against the British led by Colonel Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington. Tipu's eventual defeat in 1799 marked the start of British territorial expansion in southern India. There was great interest amongst the British public in the legend that built up around Tipu Sultan. Artists such as Arthur William Devis and Henry Singleton dramatised events leading up to his defeat while several engravers published a series of historical prints.