Watercolour on paper. 380 x 470 mm. (15 x 18.5ins).

The first residence in Simla, a thatched wood cottage, was erected in 1819 and was gradually followed by others. In 1827 Lord Amherst, then Governor-General, spent the summer at Simla, which subsequently developed into the summer capital of British India.

Based on his experiences during the Second Afghan War (1878 - 1880), Major Reginald C.W. Mitford wrote To Caubul with the Cavalry Brigade, London 1881.

His view of Simla, the summer capital of British India, probably relates to a period when Mitford was posted there, some years before his experiences in Afghanistan.