A key figure in the Raj was the punkha boy or man, who pulled the string that moved a fan in a bar or in the sleeping quarters to keep their employers cool.
An early painted postcard, part of a series commemorating the 1903 Delhi Durbar but abstracted to something broader as "The Gorgeous East" series; note the water in the background which likely would not have been part of the Delhi Durbar.
Among the earliest British-published postcards of Kashmir, this example from a series by F. Hartmann probably preceded the first Tuck's coloured Kashmir postcards by Raphael Tuck & Sons in 1906.
This artist-signed postcard includes a red French stamp, cancelled in 1930, in a slightly tilted position that might have meant, if the sender was adhering to The Language of Stamps, "Have you Forgotten Me?"
[Original caption] Pydownie Stree, Bombay (City). Pydownie Street, one of the principal highways of Bombay, is typical of the many animated thoroughfares of this busy city.
[Original caption] Calcutta Coolies. The Coolies of Calcutta, otherwise porters or carriers, are men of fine physique, and are able to carry exceptionally heavy weights supported on their heads.
From Dhurandhar's earliest postcard series featuring the people of Bombay. Once again, a gesture defines character, with the white space next to the priest space for the sender to write a message.
[Original caption] General Post Office. The general buildings of Madras are more than usually handsome. Along the seafront stretching north from the Esplanade are the General Post Office and the Bank of Madras, the Custom House, etc.
