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.
Higginbotham & Co.
Chalking the Doorstep, Madras
The Kolam tradition of creating complex geometric patterns, often passed down from mother to daughter, out of rice flour or chalk in front of the home is an ancient tradition in South India and elsewhere.
High Court, Madras, from South
"The High Court's imposing, labyrinthine Indo-Sarcenic buildings, with long corridors, high ceilings, much ornamental tiling, carving and iron-work, beautiful stained glass arches and portrait gallery, is one of the City's landmarks," wrote the late
Views of Bangalore
On the back [verso] of this card is written: "The building in the centre is the last one of which my father was the architect. C.J.V.
Buckingham Canal Basin, Madras.
The Buckingham Canal is an almost 500 mile long freshwater canal built in the 19th century that runs along the Coromandel coast in eastern India.
The River Cooum, Madras
A view of the shortest river (76 miles) to empty into the Bay of Bengal, and a long-critical artery for Chennai, at a time when it was much less polluted than today.
Band Stand, People's Park, Madras
Once one of the jewels of Chennai, the People's Park was constructed between 1859-1861 and extended over 112 acres. Today it is apparently largely neglected with much of the land used for other purposes.
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 Fruit Seller, Madras
A very finely hand-tinted postcard, with the indigo closely fitting the cloth, one arm balancing a basket of fruit on the seller's head, the other reaching out to the viewer with a bright red sample.
