In late October 1876, Valentine C. Princep was commissioned by the Indian Government for a painting on the Imperial Assemblage of Delhi. This painting was to be presented to Queen Victoria on her assuming the title of Empress of India. Imperial India (first published in 1879), was an outcome of that commission. Princep travelled from England to India, and maintained a journal of his travel from England to India, and within India.

The nature of his work entailed travelling across India, as he made numerous portraits of the Indian royalty, such as the Maharaja of Gwalior Jaiaji Rao; Maharaja of Udaipur Sujjan Singh; Maharani of Baroda 'Jumna Bae'; and Sir Salar Jung, etc. Although Princep drew many a fine portrait, capturing the essence of their being, only a few have?been?included?in?this?book,?along?with?land?and?cityscapes.

From Princep's narrative of the cities - Chittor, Delhi, Bombay, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Shimla, Benares, Satna, Bangalore, Mysore, Kashmir, Hyderabad and others - what comes across is the discerning eye of this artist as he describes the monuments, his journeys and the city areas, which are refreshing. As also are his interactions with and the candid observations of the Indian rulers - their attire, courts and palaces - whom he painted. Anecdotes, snippets of history, local gossip and some current incidents of the time uplift this book from being a routine journal, and give us a glimpse of this Englishman and his sense of?humour,?his?countrymen?and?the?India?of?the?time.