NAM.1965-02-139-1

Mrs Margaret Herschel Skene (d 1857), wife of Captain Alexander Skene, 68th Bengal Native Infantry, 1854 (c). Miniature portrait in watercolour on paper, artist unknown, 1854 (c). The sitter is shown wearing a green paisley pattern shawl over a plaid pattern or tartan dress with a pink lace collar. She is seated on a wooden chair. Unframed, oval. Associated with the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859). Margaret Skene, her husband, Captain Alexander Skene, and their two daughters were killed at Jhansi Fort on 8 June 1857 during the Indian Mutiny of 1857-1859. Captain Skene was British superintendent at Jhansi and at the first sign of unrest had ordered all Christians in the city to take refuge in the fort. They remained under siege until 8 June when the rebels offered to spare their lives if they surrendered the fort. Skene agreed, believing that the Rani of Jhansi had guaranteed their safety, but the 56 Christians were all hacked to death with swords. The Rani’s personal responsibility for the massacre is still hotly debated.

Indian Mutiny (1857-1859)