Tibetan Mendicant
An uncommon type of postcard flourished in Darjeeling, with individuals on real-photo black and white postcards carefully silhouetted and then individually hand-painted.
Hand-painted
[Zenana Carriage]
![[Zenana Carriage]](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/carriage_0.jpg?itok=qY5XcnEW "[Zenana Carriage]")
A hand-painted postcard; given that cards retailed for one anna around this time, maybe two, after materials, one can only imagine how little the bazaar artist was paid.
[Verso handwritten] "Cawnpore [Kanpur]. Dec.
High Class People [handwritten]
![High Class People [handwritten]](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/high-class-people_0.jpg?itok=Qp0_hSBg "High Class People [handwritten]")
An unusual humorous hand-painted postcard, as if riding high on a camel makes someone "high class." Hand-painted postcards seem in style to echo much earlier 19th century Company painting styles.
[Rajah on Carpet]
![[Rajah on Carpet]](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/rajah-on-carpet_0.jpg?itok=f_34hkeQ "[Rajah on Carpet]")
A hand painted postcard that – if it was also purchased in Ahmedabad, from where it was sent – suggests that these rare postcards relative to the mass-printed ones were also available outside of Bombay. Postmarked 30 November 1908 and sent to Mr.
Rice Grinding [handwritten]
![Rice Grinding [handwritten]](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/rice-grinding_0.jpg?itok=R7-LwAWK "Rice Grinding [handwritten]")
A rare individually hand-painted postcard of a woman with a traditional stone rice grinder, often used to grind rice batter to make South Indian idlis or dosas.
Camel Driver [handwritten]
![Camel Driver [handwritten]](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/camel-driver_0.jpg?itok=USOI-i0C "Camel Driver [handwritten]")
A hand painted postcard from roughly 1905, many of which like printed postcards illustrated the various labor occupations.
Shoe Maker
This is a hand-painted postcard from around 1905, rather rare in India compared to, say, China where at the time numerous hand-painted postcards were being sent abroad.
Mohamedan Marriage
Some of the most beautiful and rarest early postcards of India are hand-painted, often with penciled titles and the simply printed word "post card" on the back.
[Dancer and Musicians]
![[Dancer and Musicians]](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/nautch-and-musicians_0.jpg?itok=1nflUs6c "[Dancer and Musicians]")
A hand-painted postcard which has been very nicely constructed to feature the dancer, who is entirely in colour. The musicians are partially sketched, with only their instruments, sashes and turbans coloured.
