Delhi

A hand-coloured postcard of Delhi by one of the earliest London-based publishers of Indian postcards.

[Original caption] Diwan-i-Khas, "The Hall of Audience," a pavilion of white marble shining in the sun; walls and ceilings, pillars and arches, all inlaid with rich yet delicate color.

A postcard sent from Bareilly in UP to a woman in France in 1905 shows how the placement of stamps was on the front of a postcard was once itself a performative art.

[Original caption] Lahore Gate. To reach the ancient stronghold of the Mughal emperors, you pass under the great Lahore Gate. Its massiveness lightened by domes and arches, gilt and marble on top of it.

[Original caption] Indian fruit is varied and luscious. Among the most popular are melons, guavas, bananas and mangoes. These, and others, are readily bought, and the fruit stall is a flourishing institution in every Indian bazaar. [end]

Bremner made a whole series of postcards of the 1903 Delhi Durbar, and as with many photographers, it was the Camel Corps that caught his camera.

[Original caption] Indian Workers in Silver and Gold. Unaided by mechanical invention, the handwork of these craftsmen is as near perfection as is possible.

[Original caption] Humayun's Tomb. The first Mogul emperor buried in India, he was contemporary with Henry VIII and died 1565. His widow built the mausoleum and is buried there too.

[Original caption] The Saman Burj or Princess Boudoir in Delhi is richly inlaid with mosaic work. Delhi. [end]

The exquisite hand-tinting of this postcard is worthy of the original design.

From one of the first Tuck's India postcard series, this image depicts Lord Curzon and his wife Mary on an elephant at the 1903 Delhi Durbar.