Railway Porter

Like the backs of many Dhurandhar cards, this one bears the blind stamp and price ["A.H.W. Rs. 0-1-0," e.g. 1 anna] of A.H. Wheeler & Co., at 47 Hornby Road, the bookstall chain and contractor for advertising on Indian Railways. Their distribution network and relationship with the authorities supports the idea that the 70 or so postcards Dhurandhar designed between 1903 and 1905 were some sort of official or semi-official commission, possibly from the postal service.

Postmarked Bombay 9 Dec. 1905 from Dr A. Mayr XXX House Apollo Bunder Station [?] 24.XII.1905 to Herrn Professor Josef Mayr. N. [?] Karlsburg, Maehren, Austria Europe. [Recto, handwritten] “Herzliche Grusse zum Weinachtsfeier [Warm Greetings for Christmas]."