The King Emperor
[After the original painting by I. Snowman, from official sittings graciously granted by His Majesty.
[Original caption] His Most Excellent Majesty George V.
[After the original painting by I. Snowman, from official sittings graciously granted by His Majesty.
[Original caption] His Most Excellent Majesty George V.
[Original recto] Sira's Marriage :–Marriage of Sita with Rama. [end]
"Sita's Marriage" is a treasured story from the great Indian epic, the Ramayana.
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.
The Grand Orient Hotel is located on the waterfront in the Fort area of Colombo. The GOH (note initials at top of the building) as it is commonly known, was built in 1837 for British soldiers. In 1875 it was converted into a hotel.
This is an intriguing postcard because the mosque's domes are actually golden, from which it derives its name. Here they are rendered as blue.
P.K. Raja Sandow (1894/5-1943) was one of the most famous silent film actors of India, and later a producer and director as well. Born in Tamil Nadu, he was given the name "Sandow" after a well-known German body-builder of the time.
[Original caption] Madras, Temple at Trivalur.
[Original caption] The Chettya are one of the trading castes of India whose mercantile activities take them far afield.
This is actually a real photograph postcard of a water colour on paper by M.V. Dhurandhar, part of a series by the artist on the people of Bombay. The recent and first major book on him, M.V. Dhurandhar The Romantic Realist (DAG, 2018) has three of
A rare lithograph from 1907 or beyond. Note the British policeman in side profile, the local constable saluting him. They are nearly the same height. The background reveals itself to be a cutout of the city, the policeman's terrain.