An Arab Ship, Bombay Harbour
An atypical postcard that shows a ship in dry dock.
Kolkata
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.
Bunder Wallah or Monkey Man
Sent to R.S. Gibbons, c/o Mrs. N.L. Larler, J.G. Northhampton Road, Addiscombe, Croydon, Surrey, England: "Feb 4th [1919?]. Granny sent you 10/- [shillings] for Xmas. Ask R.M. to give it to you out of the Bank.
A Hindu Musician
A hand-tinted studio postcard using what seem like only three carefully deployed colors - red, green and a hint of yellow or cream on the balustrade. The artistry is in getting the sitar bridges almost right.
Pan & Aerated Water Shop, Calcutta
A postcard that reflects how easily Kolkata mixed past and present at the turn of the century. Paan is an ancient cornucopia of spices and nuts wrapped in a betel leaf. Next to it are cooling soda bottles.
Calcutta - Shibjee Fair
An unusually lively postcard with what seem to be wooden full circle swings or spinners common at amusement fairs. What exactly the Shibjee Fare [Fair] was is unclear.
Calcutta 1897
Postmarked May 25, 1898 (?) and addressed to Master Leslie Hurst, 4 Waterlook Road, Nottingham, England: "My dear Leslie I have another p.c. [postcard] for you – Did you go to Gooe fair. It is your fair day today.
The Burning Ghat, Benares
Among the earliest postcards of Varanasi, this court-sized card was made from an albumen photograph (its title is still inscribed in the negative) and framed by a floral design.
Simla, Annandale
"There is possibly no name connected with Simla which to thousands of Anglo-Indians, past and present, can revive more memories of a pleasant nature than that of Annandale." writes Edward Buck, the longtime resident and master chronicler of the
Charpoy Weavers
There are not that many postcards showing the charpai [charpoy], a ubiquitous feature of Indian life, defined in Hobson-Jobson (1903, p.
