before 1900

Calcutta

Calcutta

A fourth card in Rossler’s 1897 lithographic series of Calcutta features a fakir, the male counterpoint to the nautch dancer. Above the fakir is his spiritual guide along lifelong wanderings, Lord Shiva.

Karli Caves

Karli Caves

An early court-sized postcard by Paul Gerhardt, chief lithographer at The Ravi Varma Press in - yes - Karli, outside Bombay. The firm moved its premises here in the late 1890s.

Jumma Masjid Bombay

Jumma Masjid Bombay

Another exuberant, deftly rendered very early postcard by Paul Gerhardt, chief lithographer at the Ravi Varma Press in Bombay. Note the simply drawn mosque minarets, the colors that pull you in while the cart pushes out into the foreground space.

Bombay View

Bombay View

Bombay is the anglicized name of the original Portuguese word "Bombaim." Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra.

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