A Kandyan Lady
A refreshing portrait of a woman looking straight back at the viewer, not contained by the frame. Most probably from a portrait by Charles Scowen in the 1870s, who photographed the same woman in slightly different poses.
Halftone
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.
Palm Avenue, Botanical Gardens, Calcutta.
[Original caption] The Royal Botanical Gardens on the west bank of the river, were founded in 1780 on the suggestion of Colonel Kyd, and have been of more service to public and private gardens of the world than any other horticultural institute.
Greetings from Delhi
An early Greetings from Delhi postcard that seems to have been constructed from a number of other postcards given the way the titles appear on the images.
Delhi. Old Fort.
[Original caption] Old Fort. Between the Mosque and the Jumna river stands the Fort–the ancient stronghold and palace of the Mogul emperor. A towering wall of red sandstone encloses it, moated and battlemented. [end]
Better known today as the Purana
Bombay - The Museum
[Original caption] The Museum. As befitting an important town like Bombay, the Museum is, indeed, a very fine one, and contains many valuable collections. [end]
This postcard was likely printed soon after the construction of the Prince of Wales
The Governor's Bodyguard
Formed in 1865, the Governor's Bodyguard was a colorful, often-illustrated cavalry in their red and white uniforms and mustachioed Rajput horsemen.
Madras Victoria Hall
[Original caption] Victoria Hall, built 1883-1888 in honor of the Empress of India, was designed by Chisholm in keeping with the style of the Central Railway Station, one of the finest in India.
Shipping on the Hooghly
An example of how the earliest postcards of a place were often design masterpieces. Note how the palm tree merges with the ship masts, and nautical rope and elements carefully surround the whole frame.
Exit of Khyber Pass into Peshawar Plain
Most postcards of the Khyber Pass show the decline of the roadway towards the Afghan border at Torkham, where the Frontier of India [now Pakistan] sign stood.
