Famous Nautch Girl

This postcard actually shows Gohar Jan, India's first gramophone recorded artist (1902) and the most famous singer of her time. Generic postcard titles subverting the identity of the subject are common, but less common is that this almost appears to be a lithographic postcard, given the flat and fluid lines of her garment. A magnifying glass examination suggests it probably is a collotype, but without the precision usually associated with that print type; more likely is the fact that this is probably an unauthorized reproduction of another postcard, a counterfeit as it were, given too that there is no publisher indicated.