Nautch Girls
Note how carefully this postcard has been hand-tinted, even the studio carpet adding a little depth.
Women
Van Gari Woman
This particular postcard is among the hardest of Gerhardt's early works for The Ravi Varma Press to find, despite the effective use of depth of field to bring life to the scene.
Dancing Girl and Musician
One of the most popular of early nautch postcards, made in many variations by Clifton & Co. As is so often the case, the musician lends colour and evokes the dance even if, in this case, they are probably standing very still in the studio.
[Two Women with Tinted Glitter]
![[Two Women with Tinted Glitter]](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/two-women-tinted-glitter.jpg?itok=ilIabKzv "[Two Women with Tinted Glitter]")
This real photo postcard has a "Copyright, Made in Germany" imprint on the back, which was likely printed in India on German postcard-size paper. The watercolor and glitter treatment could also have been done in-house.
Mudellar [Mudaliar] Caste Lady
![Mudellar [Mudaliar] Caste Lady](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/nautch-girl-india-handwritten.jpg?itok=e4TJdqcz "Mudellar [Mudaliar] Caste Lady")
Possibly a dancer in a nicely hand-tinted postcard; note the red tip of the plant pointing to the lady.
The Charleville Hotel Mussoorie
When Rudyard Kipling visited Mussoorie in the summer 1888, he wrote two verses by hand in a book of photographs in an album of photographs by Alex Hill (now in the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.), which can be found on the website of The
Miss Akhtara
A rare early Bollywood star postcard, though the movie the still is likely taken from, and the sad-looking star are unknown.
Progress of Fashion
A clever postcard by master artist M.V. Dhurandhar showing the modernization of fashion among women in his hometown of Bombay. This card was published by D.B.
Parsi Ladies
One of the most popular early postcards of Parsees was this arresting composite portrait by Clifton & Co. The original albumen likely dates to the late 1890s.
Fisher Woman
An early postcard and theme of Bombay artists, the fisher woman, with a basket of fish on her head. A fishing vessel is in the background, its mast at an angle which adds energy to her pose.
