Travel albums.

containing a collection of twenty five tangore and other company school paintings of various Indian subjects, mostly women engaged in traditional occupations with some religious and mythological scenes; also with copies of poems, some from printed works but others by friends of Mrs Skinner including compositions by jane porter, julia pardoe, the prominent diplomat Sir John Malcolm, and the noted physician Whitelaw Ainslie; copies of inscriptions, riddles, epitaphs, and similar material; inserted autograph letters, poems, cards, and signatures including Julia Pardoe, w.m. praed, and Manackjee Cursetjee; letters and documents in languages including Tamil, Arabic, and Hieroglyphic (by the Egyptologist Sir John Gardner Wilkinson); three page account of the ancient diamond mines of Golconda with accompanying watercolour, about 25 watercolour, pen and ink, and pencil sketches (many by Mary Skinner's husband Samuel and son Bruce) of various English scenes including Shirley Park in Surrey, the Eglinton Tournament of 1839, rural scenes, details of flora, portraits and caricatures; and about eight watercolours and pencil sketches of Indian, North African, Persian, Greek, Italian, and American scenes; large 8vo, about 165 pages, coloured endpapers, maroon morocco with gilt and blind tooling, first volume having foliate scrolling and a gilt metal scolloped clasp, 1820s to 1850s; covers worn, spine of second volume detached with leaves consequently loose

Mary Skinner was the wife of Samuel Skinner, who was for many years a circuit judge in Chittoor, Madras. After her return to England she was closely involved with a circle of writers and ex-Indian civil servants based around the Skinner residence of Shirley Park, Surrey.