Calcutta
A very early lithographic postcard of Calcutta, postmarked as early as the first half of 1899, and published from Budapest, then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
A very early lithographic postcard of Calcutta, postmarked as early as the first half of 1899, and published from Budapest, then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
[Original caption] Apollo Bunder. Here are to be found very large and fine buildings, including the Government Docks and the Custom House and many other important Docks, etc. [end]
Darjeeling, located in the lower range of the Himalaya, is often called the "Queen of the Hills." Its Sunday market, when villagers and merchants from the neighbouring villages and towns come to offer their wares, was a very popular postcard subject
"Naini Tal is a favourite sanatorium of the United Provinces, the summer residence of the Governor, and the hdqrs. [headquarters] of the General Officer commanding the Eastern Command.
Kulri Bazaar, Mussoorie almost feels painterly in its alternating pattern light and soft dark fabrics. In the center, his back turned to us, but with no apparent import, is a British man wearing an infamous solar topee, the sartorial logo of the Raj.
B. Rigold and Bergmann were a London firm (69, Bishopsgate, London, E.C.), apparently established in 1876 that traded with India and China.
A daub of red anchors the eye in this fine composition. Moore Market was opened in 1900, and destroyed by a mysterious fire in 1985, after which the land was repurposed for the Chennai Suburban Railway station.
One of the earlier firmly dateable postcards by H.A. Mirza & Sons, the Chandni Chowk photography firm which was to become the dominant Delhi and northern Indian postcard publisher by 1905.
Postmarked Jaipur November 22, 1903 and Chicago Dec.
The central bazaar in Peshawar, capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP, now KPK) was a common postcard subject, even for distant publishers like H.A. Mirza in Delhi. Murrays Handbook for Travellers in India Burma and Ceylon (1928) wrote:
[Original caption] The Chowk and Howa Mahal. This is a picturesque and animated scene. The inhabitants of Jeypore are a busy people, and their bazaars are generally crowded.