Blog Archives

JLK Van Dort’s Vibrant 19th Century Sketches of British Ceylon-by Michael Roberts Source:Thuppahis Ismeth Raheem, in  the Sunday Times, 24 December 2023, where the title reads “A Christmas sketch among the many 19th century social events captured by J.L.K. Van Dort”  . … An Item conveyed to me by David Sansoni of Sydney  and now sibject to my=highlighting emphasis (Editor, Thuppahi) J.L.K. Van Dort who flourished in the latter half of the 19th century in Sri Lanka could well be described as the ‘Hogarth of Ceylon’. He was undoubtedly the best-known painter and illustrator working in the country at the time. From 1850 up till to his death in 1896, he recorded almost every social event of importance with his deft quick sketches, including religious festivals like Christmas. Born on July 28, 1831,  in Small Pass in the Fort of Colombo, his father – an architect, surveyor and artist of some fame is said to have had a ...