The Governor's Bodyguard
Formed in 1865, the Governor's Bodyguard was a colorful, often-illustrated cavalry in their red and white uniforms and mustachioed Rajput horsemen.
Color
Madras Victoria Hall
[Original caption] Victoria Hall, built 1883-1888 in honor of the Empress of India, was designed by Chisholm in keeping with the style of the Central Railway Station, one of the finest in India.
Punkha Boy
A key figure in the Raj was the punkha boy or man, who pulled the string that moved a fan in a bar or in the sleeping quarters to keep their employers cool.
The Gorgeous East Mounting a Royal Tusker
An early painted postcard, part of a series commemorating the 1903 Delhi Durbar but abstracted to something broader as "The Gorgeous East" series; note the water in the background which likely would not have been part of the Delhi Durbar.
Pir Panjal Range (Kashmir)
Among the earliest British-published postcards of Kashmir, this example from a series by F. Hartmann probably preceded the first Tuck's coloured Kashmir postcards by Raphael Tuck & Sons in 1906. Interestingly, both firms used an unusual caption on a
Govid Sing, Rajpoot Shikaree (Hunter)
This artist-signed postcard includes a red French stamp, cancelled in 1930, in a slightly tilted position that might have meant, if the sender was adhering to The Language of Stamps, "Have you Forgotten Me?"
Root of an India Rubber Tree at Colombo, Ceylon
[Original caption] The tree grows to a height of 120 feet and has a large spreading head. A channel is in the bark with a cutlass for the mil to flow and is caught in gourds.
Bombay. Pydownie Street.
[Original caption] Pydownie Stree, Bombay (City). Pydownie Street, one of the principal highways of Bombay, is typical of the many animated thoroughfares of this busy city.
Madras Central Station
[Original caption] Madras, Central Station. This is one of the largest and finest stations in all India.
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.
