Tom, Tom Beaters
A beautiful studio portrait featuring the "thammattama," drums used in Buddhist rituals in Sri Lanka. They may be derived from a frame drum used in Tamil Nadu, and their sound is said to have irritated British colonists.
Men
Barber at Work
A fine example of hand-tinting and documentation on a postcard. Note how the barber's entire work kit is proudly displayed at the bottom of the image, all of which fits into a leather satchel.
A Potter, Northern India
[Original caption] A Potter, Northern India. Fostered by "caste," the native craftsman remains, contentedly, throughout his life in that sphere of industry into which he was born.
Brahman
The Brahmin, as the art scholar Allan Life has noted, is reluctantly shuffling from tradition to modernity, from the temple behind him to the new city in front of him.
A Benares Brahmin
An early (undivided back) postcard from Bombay's premiere bookstore and important postcard publisher and retailer at the turn of the century.
Hon'ble Mr. P. Ananda Charlu
Much of the initial Independence struggle was peaceful, led by often hardly remembered Anglicized lawyers like Mr. P.
Borah Trader
Bohras are Gujarati Muslims known as a business and trading community; they flourished in Bombay during the late 19th century and Karachi since Partition for example. This postcard by M.V.
Indian Raja
"RAJA, RAJAH , s. Skt. rājā, 'king.' The word is still used in this sense, but titles have a tendency to degenerate, and this one is applied to many humbler dignitaries, petty chiefs, or large Zemindars.
Snake Charmer, Jaipur
Not many snake charmers make it into a photographer's studio, but here the soft floral backdrop and line of the flute reinforces the sense of the cobras emerging gracefully from their basket.
Calcutta Coolies
[Original caption] Calcutta Coolies. The Coolies of Calcutta, otherwise porters or carriers, are men of fine physique, and are able to carry exceptionally heavy weights supported on their heads.
