A Nautch Girl and Musicians
A finely hand-tinted postcard and gorgeous display of color.
Musicians
Dancing Girl and Musician
One of the most popular of early nautch postcards, made in many variations by Clifton & Co. As is so often the case, the musician lends colour and evokes the dance even if, in this case, they are probably standing very still in the studio.
Tom, Tom Beaters
A beautiful studio portrait featuring the "thammattama," drums used in Buddhist rituals in Sri Lanka. They may be derived from a frame drum used in Tamil Nadu, and their sound is said to have irritated British colonists.
Nautch Party
An apparently hand-stenciled color card likely made from a photograph at the Ravi Varma Press facilities in Karla, outside Mumbai. Note how carefully everyone, especially the two dancers, are holding their pose in this vibrant frozen moment.
Lessons in Music
Lessons in Music was published around 1905, when Dhurandhar participated in the first Bombay Exhibition, the official medal which he designed and received a Gold Medal for, in addition to other awards.
A Hindu Musician
A hand-tinted studio postcard using what seem like only three carefully deployed colors - red, green and a hint of yellow or cream on the balustrade. The artistry is in getting the sitar bridges almost right.
Saringee [Sarangi] or Violin
![Saringee [Sarangi] or Violin](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/sarangi-violin_0.jpg?itok=nDGP2b6u "Saringee [Sarangi] or Violin")
From a beautiful series of artist postcards that may recall elements of "Company Painting" in their direct representations of human form on simply (albeit coloured) backgrounds.
Music
[Verso, handwritten] "Oct. 24, 1915. My dear Annie, Do you think you could play this instrument? The music is very weird but I suppose they think it is nice. I don't!
Greetings from John Hagenbeck & Co.
[Original German translated] Buy tea from Hagenbeck's Ceylon Tea.
The main driver of Sri Lanka’s economic growth during the colonial period was the tea industry.
A Native Musician. Peshawar
[Original caption] A Native Musician in Peshawar, a town and district in the Punjab province near the entrance to the Khyber Pass.
