Ghulam Ali Khan

[4] At this time, Shah Alam II presided over the Mughal Empire, but in 1803 the British occupied Delhi.

In the nineteenth century there was a shift in Mughal manuscript iconography that gave greater emphasis to architectural representation.

He was a formal court painter since 1827 when he produced portraits for Akbar II and his son Mirza Salim.

"[4] A decade later in 1837 Khan painted the accession portraits of Bahadur Shah with his sons[2] where they are set against the backdrop of the fireplace from the Zafar Mahal.

[4] Other subject matter included painting high class courtesans, tawaifs, such as those featured in Mirza Fakhruddin entertained by musicians in a salon at the Zafar Mahal, 1852.