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.
1900-1909
The Foot of the Shatrunjaya Hills, Palitana
These Jain temples were constructed in memory of Ādinātha, the first of the Jain tirthankaras, who is said to have meditated here. The publisher of these unusual postcards remains elusive.
The Governor's Bodyguard
Formed in 1865, the Governor's Bodyguard was a colorful, often-illustrated cavalry in their red and white uniforms and mustachioed Rajput horsemen.
Madras Victoria Hall
[Original caption] Victoria Hall, built 1883-1888 in honor of the Empress of India, was designed by Chisholm in keeping with the style of the Central Railway Station, one of the finest in India.
Charpoy Weavers
There are not that many postcards showing the charpai [charpoy], a ubiquitous feature of Indian life, defined in Hobson-Jobson (1903, p.
The Club of Western India. Poona
Benjamin B. Cohen, in his highly informative study of Raj clubs, In the club Associational Life in colonial South Asia writes: "Locating the center of the [colonial] club's sphere at Government House de-centered the club and reflects the strong link
Punkha Boy
A key figure in the Raj was the punkha boy or man, who pulled the string that moved a fan in a bar or in the sleeping quarters to keep their employers cool.
The Gorgeous East Mounting a Royal Tusker
An early painted postcard, part of a series commemorating the 1903 Delhi Durbar but abstracted to something broader as "The Gorgeous East" series; note the water in the background which likely would not have been part of the Delhi Durbar.
Pir Panjal Range (Kashmir)
Among the earliest British-published postcards of Kashmir, this example from a series by F. Hartmann probably preceded the first Tuck's coloured Kashmir postcards by Raphael Tuck & Sons in 1906. Interestingly, both firms used an unusual caption on a
Govid Sing, Rajpoot Shikaree (Hunter)
This artist-signed postcard includes a red French stamp, cancelled in 1930, in a slightly tilted position that might have meant, if the sender was adhering to The Language of Stamps, "Have you Forgotten Me?"
