Greetings from Carl Hagenbeck's India 1898
A rare and exceptional early color postcard by Carl Hagenbeck, the German circus and exotic people's promoter whose fairs throughout continental Europe drew large audiences.
People
Hindu Beauty
A lithographic card, most likely done by an Indian artist and printed in Britain. Note how nicely the woman is foregrounded from a low angle, with a smaller temple in the background and a swirl of green that helps give life to the portrait.
Colman's Mustard Absolutely Pure
It is surprising how many brand's have survived since the turn of the century, Colman's Mustard of Norwich in the UK being part of a group that includes Lipton's, Nestle and Singer.
Type of an Hindustani Girl
"Hindustani girls" was used to refer to women from "Hindustan," or the broad belt across northern India east of Punjab known as U.P., then "United Provinces" and now "Uttar Pradesh." It would have been a term appropriate to a Peshawar based
Cotton Cart
A well-reserved "Lichtdruck" in German or "light-print" which offers the touch of a painted work for one anna.
Cotton Cart
"Thousands of these carts, all over Bombay. 14/4/06"
Tom, Tom Beaters
A beautiful studio portrait featuring the "thammattama," drums used in Buddhist rituals in Sri Lanka. They may be derived from a frame drum used in Tamil Nadu, and their sound is said to have irritated British colonists.
A Dancing Girl
An unusual portrait of a dancing girl, simply dressed, with her hands above her head, against a flattened studio backdrop, probably in Mumbai.
A Native Boat, Bombay
A nicely composed postcard showing the progression in the size of ocean-going vessels, from the small boat in the foreground, to the larger ship on right, and even larger ship in the distance on the left.
Orthodox Hindu Widow
An exquisite Dhurandhar portrait, this of a widow framed in front of a tree and a temple in the background. Orthodox widows were normally not permitted to remarry and had to obey strict dress codes like not wearing a blouse under her sari.
