Manockjee Cursetjee
(1808-1887), Parsee merchant; judge and sheriff of BombayEarly Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 1 portrait
An early advocate for women's education, he offered part of his own residence to found the first English school for Indian girls where he employed an English governess and his own daughters as staff. With a land grant and a donation, 'The Alexandra Native Girls' English institution' established its own site in 1863. Named after Alexandra of Denmark who was renowned for her nobility and beauty, the school still exists today as the Alexandra English Girl's Institution. Cursetjee is also well known for the public monument commemorating his father, Shet Cursetjee Manockjee, which occupies a small strip of land between two flyovers in Byculla, Mumbai. The monument is locally known as Khada Parsi ('Standing Parsi').
by William Brockedon
pencil and chalk, 1841
NPG 2515(92)
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