Newly married In 1822 Fanny Parks leaves England to sail to Calcutta. However, the stultifying role of the memsahib is not to Fanny's adventurous nature. When her husband is appointed Collector of Taxes up country in Allahabad the intrepid Fanny sets out on expeditions to explore alone on horseback or by boat.Her highly entertaining journal, The Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque, captures her curiosity about the people and places she encounters on her travels.Fanny describes attending dazzling Mughal weddings; the glittering court of the King of Oudh; being invited into the closed female world of zenanas; discussing and witnessing the murderous lifestyle of the Thugs. Fanny speaks fluent Urdu and becomes a close, much-loved friend and confidante of the ex-queen of Gwalior--a Maratha warrior queen who fought against Wellesley at Assaye. Fanny meets the Governor-General, Lord Auckland, and his two spinster sisters but falls foul of military etiquette when she attaches herself to their camps. She is highly critical of British colonial rule and attacks what she sees as the misuse and abuse of power.When Fanny returns to England she finances and organises a hugely popular Grand Diorama of Hindostan at Tussauds' Baker Street Bazaar in central London and exhibits her eclectic collection of Indian artefacts at the adjacent Museum of Curiosities. Based on her travels the Diorama and her journal receive rave reviews in the press.