Lama Beggars
[Original caption] A Lama Beggar. The Lamas are priests of the great Buddhist religion.
Men
Our Restless Neighbours The Pathans
Postcards of Pathans who inhabited the North West Frontier Province (NWFP, now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) bordering Afghanistan were often shown with their weapons, in poses that made them see dangerous.
Hard Life in India
There are many such postcard views, trying to celebrate in a humorous way, life for colonists during the British Raj.
Compare to the black and white version.
Moet & Chandon Dry Imperial, 1898
A very early advertising postcard for a fine French champagne from a brand that persists today by a distributor with a monopoly in the Bombay Presidency. Moet & Chandon would ikely have offered these cards to its distributors.
Preaching by Riverside, Chittagong Hill Tracts
A rather early real photo postcard from what is now Bangladesh, a part of British India that is vastly under presented in postcard production.
Troops of the British Empire - Hongkong Constabulary
Indian policemen and soldiers were an integral part of the British Empire's law and order apparatus in its Hong Kong colony. William Quin, after becoming Captain Superintendent in 1862, initiated direct recruitment from India.
The Inland Steamer "Serang"
Bengal's rivers were traversed by boats and steamers, on which this man served a captain. The firm he worked for, "I.G.S.N." is likely emblazoned on his shirt.
A Boothea Milkman
A studio portrait full of contradictions. The milkman from Darjeeling of Tibetan ancestry is shown with an English church in the deep background.
Nizam von Hyderabad
Possibly the earliest postcard of a named Indian ruler, the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahbood Ali Khan, Asif Jah VI, one of the world's richest men and ruler of Hyderabad state from 1869 until 1911.
Postmarked Deccan, unclear date, and Dautzer [Germany?],
President Jawaharlal Nehru
Phoenix Printing Works was one of the largest publishers of postcards of political leaders, including this less common casual view of Rashtrapati [President] Nehru in sandals.
