At the height of the British Empire, came significant changes in the landscape of India — formation of new capital cities in the plains and summer retreats in the hills, evolution of towns or nagore s, growth of cantonment towns with their military and civil lines, development of ports or pattanams and creation of cultural, educational and trading centres, all increasingly well connected by an expensive rail, road, and later on air network. Bombay, for instance, was the largest, most populous and enterprising city of the British Empire. Considered the ‘Eye of India’, the picture postcards of Bombay were perhaps the most varied and large in number. Madras had been an important hub of European presence in south India, with the French, Portuguese, Danish and Dutch settlements coming up in the early 17th century. The 550 postcards featured in the book visually document this growth, while also capturing evidences of earlier times in India’s fascinating temporal towns.
Images and text from Picturesque India: a journey in early picture postcards (1896-1947)
Art for art’s sake: The splendour of Mughal carvings, the jali and pietra dura marble inlay work became popular subjects for photography in the 19th century
Bombay magic: Early picture postcards from Mumbai are idyllic, with hardly any vehicular traffic, and spacious public areas
Throwback: A postcard of Cubbon Park, printed in Germany, captured by Wiele’s studio in Bengaluru in 191
Old to new: The Chepauk Palace was the official residence of the Nawab of Arcot from
Neo-colonial: The ‘Indo Saracenic‘ style of architecture began in India with the construction of the Chepauk Palace in Chennai
Good ol’ Delhi: Postcards of the Capital also feature the then newly-built town hall, clock tower, library and banks in the old city. A shot of Connaught Circus
Picturesque India: A Journey in Early Picture Postcards (1896-1947) Sangeeta and Ratnesh Mathur Niyogi Books Non-fiction
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