3-061-315 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Palmer Family, 1785. Unfinished portrait of Major William Palmer (1740-1816), of the Bengal Artillery, with his second wife, the Mughal princess Bibi Faiz Bakhsh 'Faiz-un-Nisa' Begum (died 1828), on his right, and her sister Nur Begum on his left. His children in order of age are William, Mary and Hastings. Three women attendants complete the group. Major Palmer wears a red military coat and yellow waistcoat and the women and children are wearing cream dresses. They are seated on a red carpet in a courtyard with palm and plantain trees. Palmer was ADC to Warren Hastings in 1774 and Military Secretary between 1776 and 1785. His will describes his wife as 'his devoted companion of more than 30 years'.