Van Gari Woman
This particular postcard is among the hardest of Gerhardt's early works for The Ravi Varma Press to find, despite the effective use of depth of field to bring life to the scene.
This particular postcard is among the hardest of Gerhardt's early works for The Ravi Varma Press to find, despite the effective use of depth of field to bring life to the scene.
An uncommon type of postcard flourished in Darjeeling, with individuals on real-photo black and white postcards carefully silhouetted and then individually hand-painted.
One of the most popular of early nautch postcards, made in many variations by Clifton & Co. As is so often the case, the musician lends colour and evokes the dance even if, in this case, they are probably standing very still in the studio.
[Original caption] The Glorious Gateway. It is impossible in a few lines to tell the wonders of Indian architecture.
Houseboats on the Dal Lake, which included bedroom(s), kitchen and a bathroom were a favorite postcard subject, popular then as in modern times among tourists and local inhabitants.
[Original caption] Native Quarter, Null Bazaar, Bombay. One of the principal highways, is typical of the many animated thoroughfares of this busy city.
[Original caption] An Afridi Girl. The Afridis are an Afghan or Pathan people, numbering about 300,000, inhabiting the moutainous region south of the Hindu-Kush. They consist of a number of separate clans, often at feud with each other.
Rope bridges, a death-defying way of sliding across rivers and canals in Kashmir were described by the American photographer James Ricalton: "Among the Himalayas several kinds of primitive bridges are in use; there are two kinds here before us now.
[Original caption] Madras, Cocoanut Oil Mills.
This real photo postcard has a "Copyright, Made in Germany" imprint on the back, which was likely printed in India on German postcard-size paper. The watercolor and glitter treatment could also have been done in-house.