Greetings From Bombay
A early Mumbai postcard, with ornament weaving together three photographs of the city.
A early Mumbai postcard, with ornament weaving together three photographs of the city.
[Original caption] Lahore Gate. To reach the ancient stronghold of the Mughal emperors, you pass under the great Lahore Gate. Its massiveness lightened by domes and arches, gilt and marble on top of it.
[Original caption] The Moti Musjid. The Moti Musjid or Pearl Mosque, designed by the Moghal Emperor, Shah Jehan, 1625-58, glistens as the sun gleams on the dazzling white marble.
Built in the early 1630s by the Emperor Shah Jehan, the "Palace of Mirrors" or "Crystal Palace" in Lahore Fort is full of glass tiles that reflect light. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the roof was only recently properly restored.
[Original caption] Shah Najaf Mosque. Lucknow.
A postcard where the angle and architecture combine effectively to represent the role an institution once played in India's political and social life.
Although it is a single fakir at the doorway who is the subject of the postcard's title, it is the colors of the entrance to the Golden Temple in Amritsar that catch our eye.
Avantiswami Temple was built by King Avantiverman in the latter half of the 9th century and dedicated to Vishnu; it is in ruins now though parts of it still survive and it is in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Sent to Miss Suzanne
Sepia cards were printed in a brown colour instead of black inks on halftone, collotype and real photo postcards. They went in and out of fashion from 1900 through the 1940s.
A curious card, with the white space in the top corner intended for a written message by the sender before messages were allowed on the backs of postcard after 1905. The original Victoria Hall Museum, opened in 1890, has since moved to the City