People

Tibetan Mendicant

An uncommon type of postcard flourished in Darjeeling, with individuals on real-photo black and white postcards carefully silhouetted and then individually hand-painted.

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One of the most popular of early nautch postcards, made in many variations by Clifton & Co. As is so often the case, the musician lends colour and evokes the dance even if, in this case, they are probably standing very still in the studio.

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Historic India The Glorious Gateway

[Original caption] The Glorious Gateway. It is impossible in a few lines to tell the wonders of Indian architecture.

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A Doonga Houseboat on Jhelum River

Houseboats on the Dal Lake, which included bedroom(s), kitchen and a bathroom were a favorite postcard subject, popular then as in modern times among tourists and local inhabitants.

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Native Quarter, Null Bazaar, Bombay

[Original caption] Native Quarter, Null Bazaar, Bombay. One of the principal highways, is typical of the many animated thoroughfares of this busy city.

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Afridi Girl

[Original caption] An Afridi Girl. The Afridis are an Afghan or Pathan people, numbering about 300,000, inhabiting the moutainous region south of the Hindu-Kush. They consist of a number of separate clans, often at feud with each other.

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Rope Bridge over Jhelum River, Rampur Kashmir

Rope bridges, a death-defying way of sliding across rivers and canals in Kashmir were described by the American photographer James Ricalton: "Among the Himalayas several kinds of primitive bridges are in use; there are two kinds here before us now.

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Madras Coconut Oil Mills

[Original caption] Madras, Cocoanut Oil Mills.

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[Two Women with Tinted Glitter]

This real photo postcard has a "Copyright, Made in Germany" imprint on the back, which was likely printed in India on German postcard-size paper. The watercolor and glitter treatment could also have been done in-house.