Greetings from Delhi
An early Greetings from Delhi postcard that seems to have been constructed from a number of other postcards given the way the titles appear on the images.
Delhi
Delhi. Old Fort.
[Original caption] Old Fort. Between the Mosque and the Jumna river stands the Fort–the ancient stronghold and palace of the Mogul emperor. A towering wall of red sandstone encloses it, moated and battlemented. [end]
Better known today as the Purana
The Gorgeous East Mounting a Royal Tusker
An early painted postcard, part of a series commemorating the 1903 Delhi Durbar but abstracted to something broader as "The Gorgeous East" series; note the water in the background which likely would not have been part of the Delhi Durbar.
Army Concentration Camp, Delhi Darbar
Although the word "concentration camp," has since been primarily associated with Nazi concentration camps during World War II (1939-1945), the word was in use earlier in wider contexts as a place where many people were concentrated in one location,
Delhi. Queen's Bath
[Original caption] King's Bath. When surrounded by Oriental Gardens the palace must have been more beautiful than anything we know of in the East.
Juma Masjid, Delhi with a scene of Annual Friday Prayer-Meeting
[Original caption] Commenced in 1644 A.D. by the Emperor Shahjahan and completed by him in 1658 A.D. Is said to have employed a daily average of 5000 workmen. [end]
At the back of the mosque and foreground of the image, separated by a cloth and stick
Miss Chabukswari of Delhi
Usually, dancing women were unnamed, even when they become famous (for example, Gohar Jan became a "Bombay beauty"). In this case however perhaps her name or fame justified a different approach, and it was better marketing by the unknown publisher to
The Gorgeous East - A Viceregal Party
An early Tuck's painted postcard made to celebrate the 1903 Delhi Darbar. Viceroy Lord Curzon and his wife Mary are atop the elephant, their arrival opened the Darbar.
Safder Jang Tomb. Delhi.
The low angle of this splendid postcard of the mid-18th century tomb of Nawab Safderjung seems to widen at the bottom and reach towards the viewer. Note the two figures in white, almost invisible against the whitewash of the pedestal.
State Entry, Coronation Darbar Delhi
The final of the great three Darbars in Delhi - 1897, 1903 and 1911 - was also the most "postcarded" of Darbars, with numerous publishers seeking to out do each other with series illustrating the spectacle. While H.A. Mirza & Sons in Delhi probably
