Souvenir of Darjeeling Himalaya
Thomas Paar was one of the earliest publishers of Darjeeling postcards, and a longtime photographer with a grand studio in the middle of the hillstation.
Thomas Paar was one of the earliest publishers of Darjeeling postcards, and a longtime photographer with a grand studio in the middle of the hillstation.
This most interesting thing in this composite street scene is the way it brings the many forces of colonialism into view. In the distant background is Karachi's mammoth St. Patrick's Cathedral.
One of the more unusual forces in Rajputana during the Raj was the Bikaner Camel Corps which "had such camels also on which 'jujarbas' or small cannon were mounted" (Nandakiśora Pārīka, Jaipur that was: royal court and the seraglio, p.
"The professional photographers of Darjeeling generated innumerable prints depicting those whose toil supported the lifestyles of the colonialists in their homes and businesses, and who created products they loved to consumer," writes Claire Harris
The Shree Jagannath Temple was built about 900 years ago; this court-sized postcard from around 1900 is likely to be among the very earliest from the Indian state of Odisha. The temple is also the source of the English word "juggernaut."
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The western edge of the Raj was the border with Afghanistan on the Khyber Pass. The man standing next to the sign is probably an Afghan border guard.
Combridge & Co. were among the earliest publishers of India postcards, a number of which they printed as cyanotypes, a blueish monochrome print popular around the turn of the century. This building still exists, but is now the Madras Club.
Most big Madras studios and retailers had branches in Ooti, among them Wiele & Klein, publisher of this very early court-sized view, possibly the earliest of the hillstation.
An early postcard of Kashmir, likely from a Fred Bremner photograph as many other of the firm's postcards of this region were.
Postmarked 1912, an example how a creative sender could use stamps to add their own historical touch to a a postcard.