Frans Balthazar Solvyns was a Belgian marine painter and journeyman artist, who lived in Calcutta between 1791 and 1803. He is considered one of the early pioneers in the field of print-making in India, along with Thomas Daniell.
His collection of etchings provide a portrait of Calcutta's 18th century history, and the people and customs of Bengal. His encyclopedic and systematic approach made him a pioneer of the systematic ethnography of the Indian population. His work had an important influence on 19th century Indian painting.