The Maharajahs and Maharanis of India were semi-independent rulers, responsible for governing territories outside the direct control of the British Empire; seen by the British public, as powerful symbols of ‘exotic India’. This lecture draws on an extensive collection of portraits and photographs of Indian Maharanis – some of the earliest images of Indian women as powerful, dignified and educated. This lecture brings these beautiful portraits to life with insights into the lives and memoirs of the Maharanis themselves, and a view of the role they played in the British Empire.