Root of an India Rubber Tree at Colombo, Ceylon
[Original caption] The tree grows to a height of 120 feet and has a large spreading head. A channel is in the bark with a cutlass for the mil to flow and is caught in gourds.
Colombo
Ceylon
A later "Greetings from" postcard where the divided back, allowing people to write messages on the back of cards in addition to the address, allowed the publisher to put many more photographs of the place on the front.
A Corner of Kandy Lake, Ceylon
An example of how nicely the real photo postcard could be used to maximize the depth and mystery of black and white photography, here on glossy stock by A.W. Plate & Co., a firm which tried every type of postcard printing process.
Jaffna Tamil, Ceylon
An artfully placed stamp gives this card additional character.
Galle Face Hotel, Ceylon
An exceptionally well put together early advertising postcard. The palm trees around the hotel image extend the real ones inside the frame, the one on the top right seems to jut out from the actual ones.
A Mendicant
The term mendicant refers to begging or relying on charitable donations, and is most widely used for religious followers or ascetics who rely on charity to survive. Plate & Co.
The Entrance, Mount Lavinia Hotel, Colombo
The Mount Lavinia Hotel was originally built in 1806, and after falling into disrepair, Mount Lavinia House was rebuilt in 1830 by the British Governor Edward Barnes at a cost of 30,000 pounds.
Singhalese ayah (Nurse Maid)
Plate & Co. in Colombo dominated the postcard trade on the island of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and sold half a million postcards in 1907 alone, an enormous sum for a single publisher.
Continental Pneumatic Carriage Tyres
Before there were cars, there were carriages, and even these could benefit from pneumatic tyres which were inflated by air and led to more comfortable rides.
Head of Tamil Girl
The sitter's expression is among the more memorable antique postcard portraits.
