The Mahaweli Ganga from Gangarowa looking towards Puselawa, Sri Lanka

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The Mahaweli Ganga from Gangarowa looking towards Puselawa, Sri Lanka

1873–74

Constance Fredericka Gordon Cumming

(Scottish, 1837–1924)

Culture

Sri Lanka, 19th century

Medium

watercolor over traces of pencil on paper

Support

Paper

Measurements

Sheet: 35.3 x 50.7 cm (13 7/8 x 19 15/16 in.)

Credit Line

L. E. Holden Fund 2026.38

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

During Constance Frederica Gordon-Cumming's time in Ceylon, she stayed on a coffee estate owned by Frederick and Cecilia Horsford, who also signed this drawing.

Description

Constance Frederica Gordon-Cumming was a Scottish writer and artist who traveled worldwide—rare for a woman at the time—and spent extensive periods of time in both Asia and the Pacific. She documented these activities using watercolor in works such as this one, recording notable sites during her travels. This work dates from a period of two years that the artist spent living in Sri Lanka, where she described feeling “fascinated with the loveliness of other parts of the isle and the kindness of many friends.” Especially drawn to bamboo clumps overhanging the Mahaweli Ganga—Sri Lanka’s longest river—Gordon-Cumming depicted these plants and their reflections in shades of blue and green.