18世纪后期，英帝国调整战略布局，将殖民重心由美洲转向东方。此时英国东印度公司成为帝国在东方扩张的先锋，丹尼尔叔侄则在其赞助下于1784年踏上寻访东方的旅程，于1816年将他们在东方创作的手稿初步整理完毕。为获取更多商业赞助，丹尼尔叔侄迎合英国东印度公司赞助者的政治需求，在欧洲传统与异域文化的双重浸润下观察并塑造东方世界，激起欧洲读者对正在被探索、入侵、投资与殖民的遥远异域，拥有某种熟悉感、胜任感与掌控感。由此，掌控印度、打通至东方的关键航线进而叩开中国广阔市场的东方战略布局，跃然于二人创作的绘画作品与评注文字之上，在客观上促成了个体利益追求与帝国扩张理想的合谋。一方面，他们借助“如画”艺术理念创作出展现英印亲缘关系的视觉作品，夸饰英国东印度公司强大的军事征服能力及其仁慈统治下印度的繁荣局面，为英国加强对印度的掌控提供视觉引导；另一方面，二人在画作中呈现其科学考察非洲海岸、东南亚地区获取到的关键信息，助推英国逐步打破西班牙、荷兰等国对通向东方的海上贸易航线的垄断，并以民族志式目光审视原住民，在视觉层面上为殖民该地提供可行性与合法性的新解释；更为重要的是，他们与马嘎尔尼使团殊途同归，为英国公众认识一个更为真实也更为虚弱的中国提供了一手资料，为解释鸦片战争的爆发提供了直观的视觉素材。在此意义上，丹尼尔叔侄的视觉艺术作品编织了独特的东方世界图景，成为英帝国向东方扩张的视觉先导。

In the late 18th century, the British Empire adjusted its strategic layout, directing its gaze towards the East, with the British East India Company leading its expansion. Under its patronage, Thomas Daniell and his nephews embarked on an exploratory journey in 1784, culminating in completing and publishing their manuscripts by 1816.     

In pursuit of more commercial sponsorship, they catered to the political needs of the East India Company's sponsors. Under the dual influence of European and exotic cultures, they observed and shaped the East world, sparking a sense of familiarity, competence, and control among European readers about the distant exotic lands that were being explored, invaded, invested in, and colonized. And objectively contributed to the collusion between the pursuit of individual interests and the ideal of colonial expansion of the empire. In this sense, their artworks served as visual guides for the British Empire's expansion into the East.

They utilized the "picturesque" art concept, showing the kinship between Britain and India, and demonstrated the East India Company's powerful military capabilities and the prosperity of India under its benevolent rule, strengthening its control over India. Additionally, they presented crucial information obtained from scientific investigations along the African coast and in Southeast Asia in their paintings, helping Britain gradually break the Spanish and Dutch monopolies on the sea trade routes to the East. Meanwhile, they also adopted an ethnographic gaze to examine the local peoples, providing new visual interpretations of feasibility and legitimacy for colonialism. Altogether with Macartney's embassy, they provided first-hand information to the British public about a more realistic and vulnerable China, offering the most intuitive visual material for explaining the causes of the Opium Wars.

Thus, the ‘Reorienting towards the East’ layout, with India as its critical bridgehead, establishing key maritime routes to the East, and further opening the market of China, vividly emerged from the paintings and annotated texts created by the Daniells.