Calcutta (A Monsoon Sunset)
Another painted postcard by the Anglo-Indian artist Frank Clinger Scallan (1870-1950) whose Kolkata series of nearly a dozen postcards reflects the pleasures of life in what was British India's largest metropolis.
Kolkata
Calcutta, The Jain Temple
A vibrant painted postcard by the Anglo-Indian artist Frank Clinger Scallan (1870-1950), part of a series he made illustrating the city he spent much of his life in.
Calcutta
Among the earliest known postcards of Kolkata, by a local and likely Austrian,photographer. Note the four tiny titles below each vignette for those eager to know.
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.
An Arab Ship, Bombay Harbour
An atypical postcard that shows a ship in dry dock.
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.
