Robert Christopher Tytler
Encyclopedia
Robert Christopher Tytler (25 September 1818 – 10 September 1872) was a British
soldier, naturalist and photographer. His second wife Harriet is well known for her work in documenting the monuments of Delhi and for her notes at the time of the 1857 revolt in India. A species of bird, Tytler's Leaf-warbler, is named after him.
army in 1834 while still in England, and arrived in India
in 1835 to join his father's regiment, the 34th Native Bengal Infantry.
He saw many years of active military service in India, and in 1842 he was promoted to baggage-master. He later became interpreter and quartermaster and took part in the actions of the First Anglo-Afghan War
(1839-42).
In the first Anglo-Sikh War
(1845-46), Tytler was put in charge of the campaign funds, and subsequently moved all over northern India with his regiment.
In May 1857, at the beginning of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
, Tytler was present when the sepoys of his own unit mutinied against their British officers at Delhi
, where he later played a conspicuous part in the ensuing siege. He and his wife were among the important photographers present in the aftermath of Indian Mutiny of 1857, which included Felice Beato
and Charles Shepard
, during the time he took the notable last image of last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II He was eventually promoted to Colonel and appointed officiating Superintendent of the Convict Settlement at Port Blair
in the Andaman Islands
from April 1862 to February 1864.
His first wife, Isabella, died aged 21 in 1847. In the following year on Tytler married Harriet Christina Earle (3 October 1828 - 24 November 1907), daughter of an officer in the 3rd Bengal Native Infantry. She had an interest in photography, which she learnt from Dr John Murray and Felice Beato
. Today Tytler and his wife are remembered mostly for their photographic work. Together they produced about 300 photographs, some of which formed large panoramas.
Harriet wrote several memoirs when she was between 75 and 77 years old (1903-6). These include "An Englishwoman in India; the memoirs of Harriet Tytler 1828-1858" first published in Chambers Journal in 1931 and a more detailed version published in 1986 by Oxford University Press.
Tytler was also a keen amateur naturalist, and expert in particular on birds (many of his notes were communicated to Allan Octavian Hume
) but also collected amphibians and reptiles. In one communication to Hume he wrote to claim priority on the discovery of the Rufous-rumped Grassbird
:
Species named for him include Tytler's Mabuya, Mabuya tytleri
, a skink
, Rana tytleri
and Hylarana tytleri, both frog
s, Tytler's Leaf-warbler
Phylloscopus tytleri and an Asia
n subspecies of the Barn Swallow
, Hirundo rustica tytleri.
Mount Harriet
in the Andamans is named after his wife.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
soldier, naturalist and photographer. His second wife Harriet is well known for her work in documenting the monuments of Delhi and for her notes at the time of the 1857 revolt in India. A species of bird, Tytler's Leaf-warbler, is named after him.
Biography
His father, Robert Tytler, served in the Bengal medical service and his mother was the daughter of a German count. Tytler joined the BengalBengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
army in 1834 while still in England, and arrived in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1835 to join his father's regiment, the 34th Native Bengal Infantry.
He saw many years of active military service in India, and in 1842 he was promoted to baggage-master. He later became interpreter and quartermaster and took part in the actions of the First Anglo-Afghan War
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
(1839-42).
In the first Anglo-Sikh War
First Anglo-Sikh War
The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company between 1845 and 1846. It resulted in partial subjugation of the Sikh kingdom.-Background and causes of the war:...
(1845-46), Tytler was put in charge of the campaign funds, and subsequently moved all over northern India with his regiment.
In May 1857, at the beginning of the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
, Tytler was present when the sepoys of his own unit mutinied against their British officers at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, where he later played a conspicuous part in the ensuing siege. He and his wife were among the important photographers present in the aftermath of Indian Mutiny of 1857, which included Felice Beato
Felice Beato
Felice Beato , also known as Felix Beato, was an Italian–British photographer. He was one of the first people to take photographs in East Asia and one of the first war photographers. He is noted for his genre works, portraits, and views and panoramas of the architecture and landscapes of Asia and...
and Charles Shepard
Charles Shepherd (photographer)
Charles Shepherd was an English photographer and printer who worked in India in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1862, Shepherd and Arthur Robertson established a photographic studio called Shepherd & Robertson in Agra. The firm moved to Simla in 1864, at which point Samuel Bourne joined...
, during the time he took the notable last image of last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II He was eventually promoted to Colonel and appointed officiating Superintendent of the Convict Settlement at Port Blair
Port Blair
Port Blair is the largest town and a municipal council in Andaman district in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India...
in the Andaman Islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
from April 1862 to February 1864.
His first wife, Isabella, died aged 21 in 1847. In the following year on Tytler married Harriet Christina Earle (3 October 1828 - 24 November 1907), daughter of an officer in the 3rd Bengal Native Infantry. She had an interest in photography, which she learnt from Dr John Murray and Felice Beato
Felice Beato
Felice Beato , also known as Felix Beato, was an Italian–British photographer. He was one of the first people to take photographs in East Asia and one of the first war photographers. He is noted for his genre works, portraits, and views and panoramas of the architecture and landscapes of Asia and...
. Today Tytler and his wife are remembered mostly for their photographic work. Together they produced about 300 photographs, some of which formed large panoramas.
Harriet wrote several memoirs when she was between 75 and 77 years old (1903-6). These include "An Englishwoman in India; the memoirs of Harriet Tytler 1828-1858" first published in Chambers Journal in 1931 and a more detailed version published in 1986 by Oxford University Press.
Tytler was also a keen amateur naturalist, and expert in particular on birds (many of his notes were communicated to Allan Octavian Hume
Allan Octavian Hume
Allan Octavian Hume was a civil servant, political reformer and amateur ornithologist in British India. He was one of the founders of the Indian National Congress, a political party that was later to lead the Indian independence movement...
) but also collected amphibians and reptiles. In one communication to Hume he wrote to claim priority on the discovery of the Rufous-rumped Grassbird
Rufous-rumped Grassbird
The Rufous-Rumped Grassbird is a species of babbler in a monotypic genus in the Timaliidae family. It was formerly placed in the Old World Warbler family Sylviidae.-Distribution and habitat:...
:
Species named for him include Tytler's Mabuya, Mabuya tytleri
Mabuya tytleri
Tytler's Mabuya is a species of skink.Distribution:India...
, a skink
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
, Rana tytleri
Rana tytleri
Hylarana tytleri is a frog species in the family Ranidae. It is found in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and possibly Bhutan and Burma. It was formerly placed in Rana, and included in the Common Green Frog . It is probably a close relative of that species nonetheless, and thus placed in the revalidated...
and Hylarana tytleri, both frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, Tytler's Leaf-warbler
Tytler's Leaf-warbler
The Tytler's Leaf-warbler is a songbird species. Like all leaf-warblers, it was formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but now belongs to the new leaf-warbler family Phylloscopidae....
Phylloscopus tytleri and an Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n subspecies of the Barn Swallow
Barn Swallow
The Barn Swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas...
, Hirundo rustica tytleri.
Mount Harriet
Mount Harriet National Park
The Mount Harriet Island National Park is a national park located in Ferrargunj tehsil in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India...
in the Andamans is named after his wife.
Writings
- Tytler,RC (1863) in E. Blyth, Report of the Curator, Zoology Department. Jour. Asiatic Soc. Bengal 32:88.
- Tytler,RC (1865) Description of a new species of Spizaetus. Proc. Asiatic Soc. Bengal 1865:112.
- Tytler,RC (1865) Observations on a few species of geckos alive in the possession of the author. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 33 [1864]:535-548.
- Tytler,RC (1868) Notes on the birds observed during a march from Simla to Mussoorie. Ibis, 2(4):190-203.
- Tytler,RC (1854) Miscellaneous notes on the fauna of Dacca, including remarks made on the line of march from Barrackpore to that station. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 2(14):168–177