Barber at Work
A fine example of hand-tinting and documentation on a postcard. Note how the barber's entire work kit is proudly displayed at the bottom of the image, all of which fits into a leather satchel.
Collotype
Greetings From Bombay
A early Mumbai postcard, with ornament weaving together three photographs of the city.
Much extolled Beauty in Kashmir
The claim that this is a much extolled Kashmiri beauty is probably true, as this particular woman seems to appear on other postcards from the period. She is wearing the traditional Kashmiri dress, the pheran, and could be wearing a watch on her left
Chenar Bagh, Kashmir
A superbly composed Bremner image, from the trees and boat in the foreground, the reflective lake stretching back towards a Hindu temple on the banks.
The Shish Mahal (Fort Lahore)
Built in the early 1630s by the Emperor Shah Jehan, the "Palace of Mirrors" or "Crystal Palace" in Lahore Fort is full of glass tiles that reflect light. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the roof was only recently properly restored.
Meerut. Business premises of A. Emmer
Postcards of retail establishments that are titled as such are not common.
Dancing Girls
Professional dancing girls were among the most popular early postcard subjects. These two dancing girls are probably from Lucknow as the painting in the studio background on the left recalls the Chutter Manzil in Lucknow.
Kodaikanal
"Kodaikanal (Kody), though not so quite fashionable as Ooty," wrote Eustace Reynolds Hall in The Tourist's India (1907) "is rapidly coming into favour.
Byculla Club, Bombay
A postcard where the angle and architecture combine effectively to represent the role an institution once played in India's political and social life.
The Kulri, Mussoorie
Clifton's later postcards, especially his candid photographs in the bazaars of Mussoorie, are among his most interesting. There is a blur to man on the right, suggesting this came from a longer-exposure albumen photograph.
