The Bowachi
One of Moorli Dhur's series on Indian domestic staff shows a cook cutting a bird with a knife between his toes while smoking a hookah. Many publishers – Johnston & Hoffman in Kolkata, Higginbothams in Chennai, Thacker, Spink & Co.
One of Moorli Dhur's series on Indian domestic staff shows a cook cutting a bird with a knife between his toes while smoking a hookah. Many publishers – Johnston & Hoffman in Kolkata, Higginbothams in Chennai, Thacker, Spink & Co.
Shell cutters usually use saws and other blade instruments to cut raw shells into different shapes to create jewelry, bangles, drinking vessels and other accessories.
A mendicant is a beggar, one who depends on the goodwill of others to survive. Looking at this short gentleman, one can imagine that he probably had little choice with at least one club foot and two walking sticks to get around, slowly.
Another Dhurandhar postcard that captures the essence and humour of a telegraph peon using a bicycle to rush to his destination.
This postcard shows a scene at the platform of Karla railway station outside Mumbai where The Ravi Varma Press was headquartered. On the platform, a barefoot man is holding a stick, another is smoking a hookah.
A very early lithographic card, published by Gobindram Oodeyram, likely printed in India.
An early Italian or French postcard celebrating or advertising the city of Bombay. It also features a bicycle, then becoming popular in the city.
John Campbell Oman (1841-1911), author of The Mystics, Ascetics and Saints of India (1903) describes the incident that made him take it upon himself to write this encyclopedic work towards the end of his life.
Note the rich character on this man's face in an image by M.V. Dhurandhar, one of India's most exceptional and prolific early 20th century painters and postcard artists.
Sent to Master E.
An unusual postcard in the use of so much black, which beautifully brings out the portrait of this man, his beard and clothing (black was expensive for printers due to the amount of ink consumed). Due to better economic prospects in Sri Lanka, during