Bengal Beauty
A classic late 19th century pose, with a three-legged Victorian table, books for the woman to rest her arm on, and painted studio backdrop.
Divided back
Parsi Athletes
The relationship of Parsis and athletics was a oft-discussed issue in the late 19th and early 20th century, with a tradition from Persia of Parsi marital arts and various muscle men who distinguished themselves set against popular conceptions of the
Sind Water Carriers
A rather rare postcard of Sindhi female water carriers, even if it was posed in a studio, and, on the back addressed from Kirkee cantonment near Poona on May 2, 1917: "I see the women go through camp every day carrying these pots, some are
A young Hindu married couple.
This card was made primarily for domestic audiences as the Hindi title, and secondary English title cleverly tucked into a corner vertically suggest. Note how the remnants of another postcard from a skewed cut is visible at the top.
Lahore. Char Boorji.
The Chaburji gateway is the entrance to a lost Mughal garden. Apparently built around the 1640s, its construction is linked to the Mughal Emperor Akbar's daughter, Zebunnissa Begum.
Safder Jang Tomb. Delhi.
The low angle of this splendid postcard of the mid-18th century tomb of Nawab Safderjung seems to widen at the bottom and reach towards the viewer. Note the two figures in white, almost invisible against the whitewash of the pedestal.
R.A.T.A.R.F.A. Meerutt
A particularly striking view of a colonial bungalow in northern India. Meerut was home to a major army garrison and cantonment during the Raj and in modern times. This card was in an embossed postcard frame. All attempts are decoding R.A.T.A.R.F.A.
Udaipur City. View of the palace.
[Original caption] Udaipur City. View of the Palace. Udaipur is the marvelous picturesque capital of the state of Mewar founded in the 16th century. The city is surrounded by a bastioned wall, protected on the W. by a beautiful lake. N. and E.
Lawrence Military Asylum, Sanawar, Kasauli
Founded in 1847 by Sir Henry Lawrence, what is now the Lawrence School is a prestigious boarding school that serves much of the country's elite and the middle-class aspiring to join that elite.
Zuhoorun (Nautch-Girl).
Dancing girl of India on a popular Tuck's painted postcard, probably signed by G.E. McCulloch. Nautch or nach, a word used in several languages of North India, is an Indian term for "dance", and indicates several forms of popular dancing styles.
