An early painted postcard, part of a series commemorating the 1903 Delhi Durbar but abstracted to something broader as "The Gorgeous East" series; note the water in the background which likely would not have been part of the Delhi Durbar.
Occasionally, nomads — those most fleeting of human subjects and least sedentary inhabitants of our planet—were caught on a postcard.
Among the earliest British-published postcards of Kashmir, this example from a series by F. Hartmann probably preceded the first Tuck's coloured Kashmir postcards by Raphael Tuck & Sons in 1906. Interestingly, both firms used an unusual caption on a
This artist-signed postcard includes a red French stamp, cancelled in 1930, in a slightly tilted position that might have meant, if the sender was adhering to The Language of Stamps, "Have you Forgotten Me?"
[Original caption] The tree grows to a height of 120 feet and has a large spreading head. A channel is in the bark with a cutlass for the mil to flow and is caught in gourds.
[Original caption] Pydownie Stree, Bombay (City). Pydownie Street, one of the principal highways of Bombay, is typical of the many animated thoroughfares of this busy city.
Not many snake charmers make it into a photographer's studio, but here the soft floral backdrop and line of the flute reinforces the sense of the cobras emerging gracefully from their basket.
[Original caption] Madras, Central Station. This is one of the largest and finest stations in all India.
[Original caption] Calcutta Coolies. The Coolies of Calcutta, otherwise porters or carriers, are men of fine physique, and are able to carry exceptionally heavy weights supported on their heads.
One of the most famous palaces in Lucknow, built by Nawab Ghazi-ud-Din Haider in the early 19th century, the Chattar Manzil epitomized the eclectic mixture of European and Indian architectural styles that made Lucknow so photogenic for early
