The Arab Servants of Sir Alexander Burnes

The two men shown in this print were servants of Sir Alexander Burnes (1805–1841), a British political agent at Kabul, Afghanistan. Burnes was an important ally in Britain's efforts to secure influence and power in the strategic border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 1838 Emily Eden's brother, Lord Auckland, the Governor-General of India, embarked on a course of action in Afghanistan—against the advice of Burnes—that eventually led to the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838–1842).