Pan & Aerated Water Shop, Calcutta
A postcard that reflects how easily Kolkata mixed past and present at the turn of the century. Paan is an ancient cornucopia of spices and nuts wrapped in a betel leaf. Next to it are cooling soda bottles.
Sepia
Gateway at Bombay . . .
[Original caption] Gateway at Bombay to Commemorate the Landing of Their Imperial Majesties King George V & Queen Mary on 2nd December 1911. [end]
This card to celebrate the inauguration of the Gateway to India in 1924 was published in connection
Exit of Khyber Pass into Peshawar Plain
Most postcards of the Khyber Pass show the decline of the roadway towards the Afghan border at Torkham, where the Frontier of India [now Pakistan] sign stood.
A Benares Dancing Girl
This card, sent by a Mr. Seamus on Dec. 1, 1905 from Kolkata, has a stamp positioned in the top that extends the tilt of the woman's head.
Greetings from Napier Cinema, Poona
An interesting postcard from many angles. It is an early advertising card for a cinema in Pune, part of a series published by the proprietor A.C.
Palms, Chepauk, Madras
A moody image in sepia of palm trees in the Chepauk district of Chennai.
[Verso] “Madras. 27.12.13. On the run again this time Madras Bombay Karachi Lahore Calcutta Rangoon.
A View of Peshawar Fur market Showing Fur Bales Loaded on Carts for Export to Foreign Countries
One of those postcards that highlights the complex trade relationships between the Raj and Afghanistan, if not Central Asia.
Sorting Jute
A moody postcard illustrating a manufacturing step in the jute export industry. Jute packaging materials were used around the world, particularly in gunny bags.
Prince of Wales Wild Boar Bagged in Patiala State
This card was part of a series published in connection with the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley in 1924, copyright and likely sponsored by the Patiala Government.
Kulri Bazaar, Mussoorie
Kulri Bazaar, Mussoorie almost feels painterly in its alternating pattern light and soft dark fabrics. In the center, his back turned to us, but with no apparent import, is a British man wearing an infamous solar topee, the sartorial logo of the Raj.
