Sampling and Weighing Cotton
Mumbai grew from the 1860s through the 1890s largely because of the international cotton trade, which went from exporting cotton to textile manufacturing mills dotting the city.
Clifton & Co.
Group of famine stricken victims
There were numerous famines during the Raj, some like this one around the turn of the century, often simultaneous with plagues that came to Bombay by ship.
An Indian Bungalow
An Indian Bungalow or single story house.
The word bungalow derives from the Gujarati word baṅglo and means "Bengali", used to communicate "house in the Bengal style". Such houses were traditionally small, thatched and had a wide veranda.
Ancient Buddhist Temple Gwalior
Buddhism had largely departed India by this time, having flourished between the 3rd century BCE and 13th century CE, but its temples still stood and were frequently subjects of postcards.
A Mohamedan dancing Girl in Attitude
This so-called "chromo-collotype" card was created by running an image derived from a black and white photograph through multiple color runs, after each color had dried, creating rich and translucent images.
Kashmir Nautch Girl
A postcard that shows off the great detail achievable in the collotype printing process.
Queen's Road, Bombay
An example of how writing could create something aesthetically appealing and seemingly become one with an image.
Segregation Camp, Bombay
One of the most popular views of plague camps in Bombay at the turn of the century, here with a nicely positioned stamp. Postmarked June 30, 1906, Mumbai. Addressed to “Miss Amy L.
Plague Patients.
Illustrated postcards actually came to Mumbai at an inauspicious moment.
Road Sweeper
This finely lithographed card by Clifton & Co. was one of the their most popular images, and produced in multiple black and white formats. Originally from a photograph, this colored version would have required multiple print runs.
