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.
Color
The Moti Musjid Agra
[Original caption] The Moti Musjid. The Moti Musjid or Pearl Mosque, designed by the Moghal Emperor, Shah Jehan, 1625-58, glistens as the sun gleams on the dazzling white marble.
Calcutta, Performing Bears
[Original caption] Performing Bears, Calcutta. It is a common occurrence in Calcutta and other cities of India to meet the native from the hills leading a small bear that is found in the Himalayas and other mountain districts.
Madras Seven Pagodas
[Original caption] Madras, Seven pagodas. This is the largest of the Seven pagodas of Mahabalipuram (once a city and now a village), 35 miles south of Madras.
Bird's Eye View of Fort from Taj Mahal Hotel, Bombay
[Original caption] Bird's Eye View of Fort from Taj Mahal Hotel, Bombay.
The Shish Mahal (Fort Lahore)
Built in the early 1630s by the Emperor Shah Jehan, the "Palace of Mirrors" or "Crystal Palace" in Lahore Fort is full of glass tiles that reflect light. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the roof was only recently properly restored.
Meerut. Business premises of A. Emmer
Postcards of retail establishments that are titled as such are not common.
Shah Najaf Mosque, Lucknow.
[Original caption] Shah Najaf Mosque. Lucknow.
Bangalore. St. Patrick's Church.
[Original caption] St Patrick's Church – Of the native Christians in Bangalore, the majority are Catholics.
A Morning Obligato
A very early postcard printed in India (postmarked Dec. 1902 in one instance) by the lithographer W. Cooper. The chance discovery of another photographic postcard shows how a scene like this was composed.
