Our Dhoby, Madras
The dhobi was a favorite postcard subject, with the colors on this postcard - note the brilliant white - likely stenciled in by the publisher in India.
Madras
From Elk Hill, Ootacamund
Nicholas Studios in Madras and Ootacamund was one of the premiere South Indian photography firms starting in the 1850s. Their long history and that of A.T.W. Penn is nicely covered in the book by Christopher Penn, The Nicholas Brothers and A.T.W.
Catamaran
Adressed to Miss E. Eraston [sp?] in London, date unclear: "You see hundreds of these things going right out to sea for fishing. E. J. L."
Gold Quartz Crushing Mills, Kolar Gold Fields
Part of a unique series of court-sized postcards showing the Kolar Gold Fields, India's largest until it was closed in 2001. That series includes Hajee Ismail Saits New Sawmill, Kolar Gold Fields and Extracting Gold, Cyanide Works, Kolar Fields.
Banyan Tree, Madras
A postcard which represents something of the uneasy relationships during the colonial period. The ancient banyan tree is hemmed in by fencing and benches. Two bearded British men are enjoying a drink under its shade.
Street Scene, Madras
Note the diagonal leading the eye into a rich scene, the figures in the corners of the frame, the tethered cow on the left, the pots in the coals, the vibrancy of this human space under a hoisted banner.
Greeting from South India
An unusual early "Greetings from" card by Wiele & Klein, one of the leading photographic studios in South India. The woman looks slightly bored, if not irritated in this studio pose.
Afraid of his Complexion
Or is he trying to keep cool? This series of humourous postcards seems to feature the same protagonist.
A Lazy Father
A humourous postcard showing a sleeping father, who is supposed to be pulling the punkah [fan] string to cool the off-framed European, but instead has delegated the task to his son. The punkahwallah not doing his duty was a common postcard theme.
A Jutka, Madras
Hobson Jobson defines the "jutka" in this finely coloured postcard with condescending tone "s. From Dak. -- Hind. jhaṭkā, 'quick.' The native cab of Madras, and of Mofussil towns in that Presidency; a conveyance only to be characterised by the
