Victoria Driver
A lovely character sketch by the artist M.V. Dhurandhar of a carriage driver in turn of the century Bombay.
Man
The "Baboo" Cyclist.
A satirical postcard showing a "Baboo," which Hobson-Jobson defined as used in Kolkata "with a slight savour of disparagement, as characterizing a superficially cultivated, but too often effeminate, Bengali," pulling ahead on the most modern of
Rabindranath Tagore
A portrait of Tagore published three years after his death. In Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson's excellent biography of this great man (Bloomsbury, 1995), there appears this translation of this poignant poem:
Karma (The Worker), 1896
No sign of my
A Happy Christmas A Travelling Student and Singer
A regular Tuck's card turned into a Christmas with the embossed greeting on top.
[Original caption] A Travelling Student and Singer. The picture shows a Brahman from the Northern parts of India, a vaishnava by religion.
Marwari
A moneylender strutting through the public square, carrying the ominous red books he uses to chase debtors through the courts, the vibrant city his backdrop.
An Indian Fakir
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.
Table Boy
From an unusual lithographic series, a marvelous rendition of a type still very active throughout the subcontinent and restaurants abroad.
Malee. (Gardener.)
The word "mali" apparently comes from the Sanskrit "mala" or garland via Hindi. Malis seem to be generally shown crouching on postcards.
[Verso, handwritten] "Upper Burma, May 8/[19]18 My dear Annie, I am pleased to hear from Mother that you got some
Afraid of his Complexion
Or is he trying to keep cool? This series of humourous postcards seems to feature the same protagonist.
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.
