Dalpatram Dahyabhai Travadi (1820 – 1898)
Gujarati Poet, Editor, Social Reformer

Artist Frank Albert Phillips (1835 – 1903)

dated 1886, Oil on canvas
27 x 22 in. (68.6 x 55.9 cm.)

Kavi Dalpatram was a pioneering poet, playwright, and social reformer in 19th-century Gujarat. Writing in Gujarati, he played a vital role in modernizing and standardizing the language, contributing significantly to the early formation of Gujarati literature. Deeply influenced by the Bhakti tradition as well as contemporary reformist thought, Dalpatram’s poetry addressed issues like social injustice, caste discrimination, and superstition. His satirical work and didactic verses were instrumental in promoting education, widow remarriage, and rationalism. One of his key contributions was popularizing prose in Gujarati, which had long been dominated by poetry. He was also closely associated with the Gujarat Vernacular Society, founded by Alexander Kinloch Forbes, which worked to develop Gujarati literature and education.

F. A. Phillips was a European portraitist active in India during the late 19th century. Like many traveling artists of the time, he moved between princely courts and urban centers, offering Western-style oil portraiture to the Indian elite. This painting on the signed and dated 1886 back side, captures the poet in a dignified pose. He is wearing traditional attire and the insignia of the CIE (Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire)-an honor reflecting Dalpatram’s cultural significance during the colonial rule. Phillips’ work is rare and reflects cross-cultural artistic exchanges in colonial India.