Marwari
A moneylender strutting through the public square, carrying the ominous red books he uses to chase debtors through the courts, the vibrant city his backdrop.
People
A Fruit Stall, Northern India
[Original caption] Indian fruit is varied and luscious. Among the most popular are melons, guavas, bananas and mangoes. These, and others, are readily bought, and the fruit stall is a flourishing institution in every Indian bazaar. [end]
From a
Calcutta, Performing Bears
[Original caption] Performing Bears, Calcutta. It is a common occurrence in Calcutta and other cities of India to meet the native from the hills leading a small bear that is found in the Himalayas and other mountain districts.
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.
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.
A Morning Obligato
A very early postcard printed in India (postmarked Dec. 1902 in one instance) by the lithographer W. Cooper. The chance discovery of another photographic postcard shows how a scene like this was composed.
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.
An Indian Fakir
Although it is a single fakir at the doorway who is the subject of the postcard's title, it is the colors of the entrance to the Golden Temple in Amritsar that catch our eye.
The Narghileh Smoker
[Original caption] The Kaid sits at his ease smoking his narghileh whose gilded bow his slave adroitly feds with tiny lumps of tobacco, keef or opium.
Washing Day Dhobi Washer Woman
A humorous colonial postcard comparing clothes washing in England and India, part of a larger artist-signed series by the large Kolkata retailer.
