Gardens on the Dahl Lake, Kashmir
Fred Bremner was one of the first postcard publishers of Kashmir, offering numerous cards of the Princely State based on photographs he tool there around 1900.
Srinagar
Channarbagh Nala, Srinagar.
An exceptionally well-reserved postcard, with the deep blue of the water reflecting how these early color postcards appeared as jewels to consumers who had not seen printed color images so widely and inexpensively available until shortly after 1900.
Maharaja's Palace, Srinagar
Sher Garhi Palace was a royal residence and power center on the banks of the Jhelum in Srinagar.
Chenar Bagh
An early postcard of Kashmir by R. E. Shorter, a little known photographer who would have competed with Fred Bremner as one of the first to publish postcards of the princely state. The white space below the image would have been used for the message.
Two of A Kind in Kashmir
Much of the early postcard market was driven by collectors who exchanged cards with each other around the world, as this text on this card illustrates. Addressed to Frau Emma Valenti in Trieste, Austria:
"Madame,
Your cards to hand.
Silversmith
Looking at this collection of craftsmen and spare surroundings of the workshop, one realizes how much of the fine silver work from Kashmir was a matter of manual labor and skills.
Takht-e-Suleman and River Jhelum
[Verso in ink, no name] "My first mooring place. The mountain in background supplies Srinagar reservoir at Hewan [? Hokar Sar?] - situated at its base. No man or beast may walk upon it.
Cashmere
Part of a Kashmir series by an unknown British publisher with the unusual "Post Restante" imprint on the back.
Srinagar. View from Tukht Hill.
Tukht Hill, better known as Takht-e-Suleiman hill, offers a wonderful view of the Srinagar. The famous Shankaracharya Temple, one of the oldest shrines in Kashmir valley, tops this hill and offers this view.
D. Macropolo & Co.
Srinagar Mohammadan at Prayer
A nicely-framed postcard with the jali [or jaali, a stone carved lattice screen] dominating the image.
