This lithograph depicts an Indian leader: "nabob" was the English pronunciation of the word "nawab," a Muslim ruler of an area in India. Cambay was a city in northwest India now known as Kambhat.
This illustration appeared in 1813 in the book Oriental Memoirs: A Narrative of Seventeen Years Residence in India by James Forbes, a British artist who had served in India as an employee of the East India Company.
The plate with this portrait was captioned:
Mohman Khaun, Nabob of Cambay
The drawing from which this is engraved was made at a public interview between the Nabob and the Mahratta sovereign, near the walls of Cambay; it was thought to be a strong likeness, and an exact representation of the Mogul costume. On that particular occasion the Nabob wore no jewels, nor any kind of ornament, except a fresh-gathered rose on one side of his turban.
The word nabob made its way into the English language. Men who had made fortunes in the East India Company were known to return to England and flaunt their wealth. They were laughingly referred to as nabobs.
