An Indian Woman travelling in the Manshil
A very early postcard printed in India, most likely by The Ravi Varma Press and drawn by its chief lithographer Paul Gerhardt.
Women
Much extolled Beauty in Kashmir
The claim that this is a much extolled Kashmiri beauty is probably true, as this particular woman seems to appear on other postcards from the period. She is wearing the traditional Kashmiri dress, the pheran, and could be wearing a watch on her left
Dancing Girls
Professional dancing girls were among the most popular early postcard subjects. These two dancing girls are probably from Lucknow as the painting in the studio background on the left recalls the Chutter Manzil in Lucknow.
A Morning Obligato
A very early postcard printed in India (postmarked Dec. 1902 in one instance) by the lithographer W. Cooper. The chance discovery of another photographic postcard shows how a scene like this was composed.
Washing Day Dhobi Washer Woman
A humorous colonial postcard comparing clothes washing in England and India, part of a larger artist-signed series by the large Kolkata retailer.
[Zenana Carriage]
![[Zenana Carriage]](https://www.paperjewels.org/sites/default/files/styles/square_thumbnail/public/slides/carriage_0.jpg?itok=qY5XcnEW "[Zenana Carriage]")
A hand-painted postcard; given that cards retailed for one anna around this time, maybe two, after materials, one can only imagine how little the bazaar artist was paid.
[Verso handwritten] "Cawnpore [Kanpur]. Dec.
A Burmese Beauty
A skirt or longyis is topped by a loosely fitted long sleeve shirt and the lady wears two necklaces, one a choker and another a longer one.
Gohar Jaan
The former Angelina Yeoward (1873-1930) became one of the most famous singers in India, and one of its first gramophone-recorded artists.
A Mohmand Grass Cutter
Mela Ram was a photographer who might have warmly welcomed the advent of the real-photograph as a way for his art to take precedence over the vagaries of publishing in collotype or halftone using hand-tinted color to enhance images (there are few
Bengal Gool Mohor (a Mahomedan Lady)
A highly colourful postcard by the painter M.V. Dhurandhar bringing together a large tree, Delonix regia, with its beautiful ("flaming") red flowers, and a woman, barefoot, seated on its branch.
