Artists Profile
Robert Colebrook
(1778-1808)Colebrooke served in the 3rd Mysore War (1790-1792), surveying the route of the return march from Madras to Calcutta, 1791-1792. As part of this work he made drawings of Seringapatam, Bangalore and the topography of Mysore.
Born in Switzerland, Robert Colebrook arrived in India on 10 December 1778, on the East Indiaman 'Gatton'. He rose from the rank of ensign to become a lieutenant-colonel, serving with the 13th Bengal Native Infantry, 20th Bengal Native Infantry and the 22nd Bengal Native Infantry. During his military career. He served in the Survey Department from 1785, becoming Surveyor General of Bengal in 1788. He died of dysentery at Bhagulpur on 21 September 1808.