Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner
(1880-1943), Indian Ruler and General20th Century Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 11 portraits
A descendant of the Rajput royal family, Singh was born in Bikaner (present day Rajasthan, India). In 1888 he succeeded his brother Dungar Singh, becoming the twenty-first Maharaja of Bikaner, assuming full ruling powers in 1898. He championed the need for water supplies, railways, hospitals and schools. Regarded as a progressive ruler he introduced a representative assembly in 1913. The first Indian prince to fight for the British Empire overseas, at the outbreak of World War I he voluntarily placed the resources of his state at Britain's disposal. An accomplished soldier, he served in China, France and Egypt. He was the only non-white member of the British Imperial War Cabinet during the First World War, the only Indian signatory of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), and the first Indian to be given the rank of General in the British Army. In 1921, he was elected first chancellor of the Indian Chamber of Princes, a post he held for five years.
Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner
by Sir William Orpen
oil on canvas, 1919
NPG 4188
by Sir James Guthrie
oil on canvas, 1924-1930
NPG 2463
Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner
by Carl Vandyk, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd
bromide postcard print, 1910s
NPG x196054
Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner
by Vandyk
12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 9 January 1915
NPG x74764
Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner
by Vandyk
12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 9 January 1915
NPG x74765
Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner
by Vandyk
12 x 10 inch glass plate negative, 9 January 1915
NPG x74763
possibly by Lafayette, for Topical Press
vintage print, March-April 1917
NPG x137204
Ganga Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner
by Walter Stoneman
bromide print on card mount, 1930
NPG x165187
Maharaja Shri Sir Ganga Singh Bahadur, Maharaja of Bikaner
by Elliott & Fry
vintage print
NPG x86360
Maharaja Shri Sir Ganga Singh Bahadur, Maharaja of Bikaner
by Elliott & Fry
bromide print
NPG x86361
by James Russell & Sons
bromide print, May 1917
NPG x32129
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