European Girl in Colonial India Era, 1890 Photo
This rare 1890 carte-de-visite (CDV) photo captures a beautiful young European girl, of around 16 -17 years, during the British India era. She was almost certainly of British parentage, possibly the daughter of a colonial officer serving in the army, civil service, or commerce. Many British families lived in India during the Raj, and their children were often born and raised here before returning to England after Independence in 1947.
The children brought up in British India often spoke of their childhoods with deep fondness. They lived in comfort, sometimes even luxury, attended by well-trained servants and surrounded by the vibrant sights and sounds of India. They accepted as normal the many challenges of life in the tropics: earthquakes, dangerous diseases, prickly heat, mosquitoes, snakes, wild animals, and the vast diversity of people so different from themselves.
Yet, despite the hardships, these children of the Raj grew to love their Indian homeland passionately. When they eventually returned to England, many felt a profound sense of loss. missing the monsoon rains, the pungent aroma of Indian food, the rutted roads, the chatter of servants, and the laughter of native children. Their nostalgia endured for decades, with many returning to India well into the 1970s to revisit the land that had shaped their earliest memories. Click image to enlarge.
Did you know- some of the famous British personalities who were born in India were Vivien Leigh, actress, Gone With The Wind., Rudyard Kipling, Nobel prize-winning author., Cliff Richard, the famous singer.
From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” Oleograph 1894., Air-India Golden Temple – Old Postcard 1950s., Kerala Backwaters & Cargo Boats – Old Print 1922., City of Cowlang or Kollam In South India – Antique Map 1750
