1900-1909

Gangavataran

Gangavataran

[Original caption] Shankar receives the river Ganga on his head in compliance with the prayers of Bhageeratha. [end]

This image is from a famous painting by Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906), one of India's most important painters.

The "Dhoby"

The "Dhoby"

Hobson Jobson (1903) the great dictionary of Indian words in English, defines "Dhoby, Dobie s. A washerman; H. dhobi [from dhona, Skt. [Sanskrit] dhav, 'to wash.'] In colloquial Anglo-Indian use all over India. A common H. [Hindustani] proverb runs:

Dhobi (Washerman)

Dhobi (Washerman)

Another evocative card by M.V. Dhurandhar injects personality into the roving washerman. In the background is an edifice of the "new" Bombay while in the foreground we see the age-old profession of washermen cleaning the resident's laundry.

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