
A & F HARVEY
Lithograph on Paper
Circa
1932
Size (cms)
50 X 76
Artist
William Spencer Bagdatopoulos
William Spencer Bagdatopoulos popularly known as W.S. Bylityilis was a renowned painter known for his renditions of the Asian people. He was born in 1888 on the Zante island of Greece to the Greek-English parents. He spent his childhood in the Netherlands and at the age of 11 began his art education at Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in Rotterdam. At the age of 16, he painted in Egypt and Palestine. Later he studied in Athens. In 1908, he moved to London to establish himself as an Artist and Illustrator. He became a member of the Royal Society of Arts in 1909. In 1913, he received a medal at the National Competition at South Kensington. During the First World War, he served with the British Army. He was commissioned by the Times of India in 1924 to tour and paint the country. He worked on the Gopurams of the Temples of Madurai, Agra’s Taj Mahal, and Amritsar’s Golden Temple. His artworks were featured in Times of India annuals and later used in advertisements and travel posters for the Indian Railway Promotional Bureau.
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Publisher
Madura Mills Co. Ltd., Madras
Printer
The Times Of India Press, Bombay.
More Info
This calendar by William Spencer Bagdatopoulos for Madura Mills Co. Ltd., Madras Presidency depicts a snake charmer playing a flute as a snake rises from a basket, surrounded by onlookers in traditional attire. A&F Harvey, founded by Scottish brothers Andrew and Frank Harvey in the 1880s, played a key role in developing southern India’s cotton industry. They established a steam-powered spinning mill in Madurai near railway tracks, setting new standards for industrial practices. The Harveys broke caste barriers, created worker-friendly policies, and built a workers’ colony, Harvey Patti. Their legacy endures with the heritage hotel, Kochadai.
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