Mali, the Gardener
A colonial offering, on a rare lithographic card, both obsequious and a caricature of the snotty memsahib.
Bombay Mumbai
No Hobson's Choice at Taraporevala's
A clever advertising postcard from what what Bombay's leading bookseller and major postcard publisher at the turn of the century.
Puran Reading in a Temple
This image by the Indian painter M.V. Dhurandhar manages to convey a real sense of personality and drama to the situation through the face and gesture of the priest.
Sent to Miss C. Blackwood, R.D. Route No.
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
The Taj Hotel was built to realize Jamsetji N. Tata's dream of a fine hotel to reflect the ascendancy of Bombay's own mercantile class.
Wood-house Road, Bombay
A quick glance at this postcard might make you think it is a European city, but it is actually a street in Mumbai with the Cathedral of the Holy Name, the seat of the Archbishop of Bombay. Opened in 1902, it was new around the time of this postcard.
Nautch Girls
Note how carefully this postcard has been hand-tinted, even the studio carpet adding a little depth.
General Post Office, Bombay
In 1913 the General Post Office moved into its present building which was designed by John Begg, the Consulting Architect to the Government during the period. Mumbai's GPO features the city's famous Indo-Saracenic architectural style.
The Tatschali Line in Bombay
Of the nine Josef Hoffman artist-signed postcards of India published by a Viennese firm in 1898 (here in an English version for Thacker & Co.), this one is the hardest to find, why is unclear.
Bombay. View of Malabar Hill
[Original caption] View of Malabar Hill. A beautiful scene and admired by all classes. A great number of bungalows are to be found here. [end]
Parsi Priest
A studio portrait of a Parsi priest, holding an umbrella.
