The Dhangar
The word "Dhangar" owes its origin to the Sanskrit word "Dhenu" (cow), and apparently refers to a caste of people associated with herding primarily in Maharashtra, but also throughout India.
Kolkata
A Group of Ayahs
A very evocative studio portrait of three – instead of the usual single - ayah which, intentionally or not, hints at something of the pathos of their work.
How our Food is cooked The Bawarchi The Cook
A humorous card by one of the largest Raj retailers, comparing Western and Eastern cooks and procedures. It is signed by the artist Geo[rge] D. and dated [19]11 in the bottom right corner.
Calcutta
Nautch dancers inspired stories like Hassan Shah’s The Nautch Girl, “the first known modern Indian novel” in the 1790s, as well as the first Urdu novel, the story of the Lucknow courtesan Umrao Jaan Ada in 1899.
A version of this card was sent by
The River showing Jetties and Howrah Bridge
In The River showing Jetties and Howrah Bridge. Calcutta ships from all over the world are docked on the Hooghly, next to 18th and 19th century mansions occupied by successful trading houses. Thomas Cook & Sons wrote in their 1911 India, Burma, and
Darjeeling. Kangchenjunga. No. 1
"Darjeeling is a hillstation and Sanatorium, situated on the lower slopes of the Himalayas.
The "Dhoby"
Hobson Jobson (1903) the great dictionary of Indian words in English, defines "Dhoby, Dobie s. A washerman; H. dhobi [from dhona, Skt. [Sanskrit] dhav, 'to wash.'] In colloquial Anglo-Indian use all over India. A common H. [Hindustani] proverb runs:
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.
Darjeeling. The Bazaar.
A black and white version of the colorized postcard Darjeeling. The Bazaar.
Darjeeling. The Bazaar.
Postcards of Darjeeling's bazaar were very common, perhaps because of the excitement at the visual engagement of people coming with their goods from nearby villages and offering them to the hillstation's residents and tourists.
