Water Carrier, Chumba
The Princely State of Chamba appeared on few postcards during the Raj even though its rulers seemed to have good relationships with a number of Punjab-based photographers, including Fred Bremner and John Burke.
Labor
Charpoy Weavers
There are not that many postcards showing the charpai [charpoy], a ubiquitous feature of Indian life, defined in Hobson-Jobson (1903, p.
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.
A Fruit Seller, Madras
A very finely hand-tinted postcard, with the indigo closely fitting the cloth, one arm balancing a basket of fruit on the seller's head, the other reaching out to the viewer with a bright red sample.
Female Spinning, Jaipur
A popular Jaipur postcard shows a woman spinning cotton in front of a traditional door.
Native Barber
Among the first postcards printed in India, from a lithograph by The Ravi Varma Press' chief lithographer, Paul Gerhardt.
Office Peon
The word "peon" owes its origin to the Spanish word which means laborer.
Darjeeling. Dandy and Bearers.
Darjeeling owes its name to a blend of the Tibetan words namely "Dorje" (thunderbolt) and "ling" (place), that translates to "The land of the thunderbolt."
[Original caption] Dandy and Bearers, Darjeeling.
A Table Servant
Note the liquor bottle, likely whisky and soda on the tray in the khitmatgar's hands.
Plucking Tea, Dambatenne Estate, Ceylon
Dambatenne Estate, established in 1890, is still part of the Lipton's team empire. Perhaps most noteworthy about this advertising postcard is the way the woman's orange clothing is both distinct from and engulfed by the tea leaves.
