In 1905, a significant exhibition was organized in Bombay (now Mumbai) that marked an important moment in India's colonial and nationalist history. Planned to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales (later King George V) to India.
The word "tawaif" comes from the Arabic word "taifa", which means "group" or "troupe." In early India, courtesans were often referred to by the Sanskrit word "ganika". These women were skilled in the arts and entertained wealthy patrons.
A charcoal seller she may have been, but the nose ring, choker and hookah suggest she had other skills too. This is likely a woman as she seems to be dressed in a typical Pahari style of the era.
While the word "dandy" suggests being fashionable, and may be a secondary meaning, the word is said to actually come from "dandi" or the Hindi/Urdu word for stick, which are used to distribute the woman's weight across them men's shoulders.
King George V (1865-1936) and Queen Mary (1867-1953) visited Peshawar from 2nd to 5th December 1905, as part of the Tour of India, but this real photo postcard was likely printed a decade or two later, so significant was this visit to British…
These generic postcards, with a different city slapped on the top signboard and the message, were rare in British India, perhaps because of the most incongruous scene and in this case, forest setting.
Khursheed Bano was a prominent actress and singer in Bollywood during the 1930s and 1940s. Born on April 14, 1914, she was a pioneer of Indian cinema. She acted in over thirty films in India and made her debut with the film "Laila Majnu" in 1931.
This card with its carefully arranged colorful stamps was postmarked March 16, 1911 in Egypt, and likely sent in an envelope to someone as there is no address on the back and likely was destined for a collector.
One can imagine that the textiles worn by the woman are vibrant with color, and the postcard could be spectacular hand-tinted, but the stripes still make for a billowing effect in black and white.
