Charlotte Canning

Charlotte Canning, Countess Canning (née Stuart; 31 March 1817 – 18 November 1861) was a British aristocrat, artist and the first Vicereine of India. She was one of India's most prolific women artists – two portfolios in the Victoria and Albert Museum contain some 350 watercolours by her, the result of four major tours in the country. Her husband was Charles Canning, who served as Governor-General of India from 1856 to 1858 and then as Viceroy of India until 1862. As the elder daughter of the British ambassador to France, she was born and raised in Paris. She moved to England with her family in 1831, marrying Canning four years later. From 1842 to 1855, Lady Canning served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria and was a favourite of the monarch. She moved to Calcutta in 1856 upon her husband's appointment, and two years later she became India's first vicereine when the British Crown took over India. As an artist and botanist Lady Canning collected flowers and plants during her frequent trips around India, while drawing the natural scenes around her. She became ill shortly before her scheduled return to England, and died of malaria in Calcutta. Her death was widely reported in England, where she was exemplified as a symbol of feminine virtue in the Victorian era. A type of Indian dessert, ledikeni, is named after her.

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