The Fort of Bidjegur

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Artist: William Hodges (British, 1744–1797)
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 24 1/8 × 40 inches (61.3 × 101.6 cm)
Museum: Yale Center for British Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

In his memoir, Willam Hodges recounted the siege of Bidjegur (Bijaigarh) in October 1781. Major William Popham led a campaign against Chait Singh, Raja of Benares, who resisted British incursions into Benghal. Bidjegur was one of Singh’s last strongholds, a mountain fortress set in a densely wooded landscape. Warren Hastings, Governor-General of Benghal, commanded Hodges to join Popham’s siege in order to draw the fort and the local topography.

Hodges was present when the fort fell to Popham on November 10, after being bombarded by British guns, one of which is represented to the left. Hastings congratulated Popham on the “easy conquest” and commissioned a painting of the fort from Hodges, one of many commissions that celebrated his career in India; two of these, the Storm on the Ganges and The Marmalong Bridge, hang nearby. This version of Bidjegur, however, is a replica that Hodges made for Captain Justly Hill, who took part in Popham’s campaign.

Text: Yale Center for British Art.