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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
nb-develop-admin2024-02-13T12:45:19+05:30
Horse Tram On Esplanade Road Bombay, 1906 PC A very interesting 1906  postcard of Horse Trams on the Esplanade Road in Bombay (Mumbai). This horse tram on Esplanade Road in Bombay offers a rare glimpse of the city from the early 20th century. With horse trams, carts, and people on its streets. The curved building on the left is the Old Oriental Building. The Esplanade Road now Mahatma Gandhi Road looks very appealing in this early 1900s postcard. With its broad street and unhurried crowd, the horse trams seem to add a certain charm. The horse-driven trams were visible up to 1907 on the streets of Bombay, it first started operation in 1874 and was replaced with electric trams in 1907. By 1964 the city's tramway service was sadly discontinued completely for lack of space. The Esplanade Road or Mahatma Gandhi Road cuts across the Flora Fountain intersection. It is one of the earliest thoroughfares of the city, made prominent after the demolition of Fort George's walls in 1862. The postcard has some handwritten text in French on the front.  Also read Once upon a time in Mumbai. Did you know - there were some efforts to revive the city's tramway in around 2017 but the project did not materialize for some reason.  From the collection - 1964 M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal Art Abstract (#14)., View of Madras Harbour & Parry’s, Old Photo 1870., Ruins Of Purana Qila Delhi, Old Print 1909., B B & C I Railway Oil Tanker – Old Photo 1920s. The images are of the actual items from my collection. And Not a photocopy, pirated, reproduced, stock photos, or taken from other sources.
Horse Tram On Esplanade Road Bombay, 1906 PC
Gallery

Horse Tram On Esplanade Road Bombay, 1906 PC

Horse Tram On Esplanade Road Bombay, 1906 PC

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

Horse Tram On Esplanade Road Bombay, 1906 PC A very interesting 1906  postcard of Horse Trams on the Esplanade Road [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-06-14T20:28:38+05:30
Views of Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 3 Postcards 1910
Views of Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 3 Postcards 1910
Gallery

Views of Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 3 Postcards 1910

Views of Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 3 Postcards 1910

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

Views of Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 3 Old Postcards 1910. Three old 1910 photo postcards showing different views of the [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-11T00:54:52+05:30
King George V & Queen Mary At Calcutta - 3 Photos 1912
King George V & Queen Mary At Calcutta – 3 Photos 1912
Gallery

King George V & Queen Mary At Calcutta – 3 Photos 1912

King George V & Queen Mary At Calcutta – 3 Photos 1912

Calcutta Photos, Old India Photos

King George V & Queen Mary At Calcutta - 3 Photos 1912 Three old 1912 photos show the expectant arrival [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-06-12T13:44:35+05:30
Royal Bombay Yacht Club, 1915 Old Photo
Royal Bombay Yacht Club, 1915 Old Photo
Gallery

Royal Bombay Yacht Club, 1915 Old Photo

Royal Bombay Yacht Club, 1915 Old Photo

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Royal Bombay Yacht Club, 1915 Old Photo. An old 1915 photo of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. The club was [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-06-11T19:19:05+05:30
Raja Ravi Varma By E M J Venniyoor, Book
Raja Ravi Varma By E M J Venniyoor, Book
Gallery

Raja Ravi Varma By E M J Venniyoor, Book

Raja Ravi Varma By E M J Venniyoor, Book

Art & Raja Ravi Varma Collection

Raja Ravi Varma By E M J Venniyoor, Book Title – Raja Ravi Varma. Author – E  M J Venniyoor [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-07-17T10:59:28+05:30
1903 illustration showing the founding of Fort St. George in Madras by Francis Day with soldiers, builders, and labourers constructing the fort.
How Fort St George Gave Birth to Madras, 1903 Print
Gallery

How Fort St George Gave Birth to Madras, 1903 Print

How Fort St George Gave Birth to Madras, 1903 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

How Fort St George Gave Birth to Madras, 1903 Print This remarkable 1903 print from the Illustrated London News depicts [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-02-29T20:16:14+05:30
Viceroy's Flight From Delhi To Calcutta, 1934 Print
Early Aviation Viceroy’s Flight From Delhi To Calcutta, 1934 Print
Gallery

Early Aviation Viceroy’s Flight From Delhi To Calcutta, 1934 Print

Early Aviation Viceroy’s Flight From Delhi To Calcutta, 1934 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Early Aviation Viceroy's Flight From Delhi To Calcutta, 1934 Print. An unusual old newspaper clip of early aviation, Viceroy Lord [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-06-05T22:31:32+05:30
Early Car & Britishers Madras Presidency, 1908 Photo
Britishers With Early Car Madras Presidency, 1908
Gallery

Britishers With Early Car Madras Presidency, 1908

Britishers With Early Car Madras Presidency, 1908

Colonial Era Motor Cars, More

Britishers With Early Car Madras Presidency, 1908 Photo Two old 1908 photos give a rare glimpse of an early car [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-07-05T20:10:32+05:30
Warplanes Over Bombay Sky WWII, 2 Photos 1940
Warplanes Over Bombay Sky WWII, 2 Photos 1940
Gallery

Warplanes Over Bombay Sky WWII, 2 Photos 1940

Warplanes Over Bombay Sky WWII, 2 Photos 1940

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Warplanes Over Bombay Sky WWII, 2 Photos 1940 Two rare 1940 photos showing warplanes over British era Bombay (now Mumbai) [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-04-18T16:53:53+05:30
south parade road bangalore
South Parade Road During British Era Bangalore, 1895 Photo
Gallery

South Parade Road During British Era Bangalore, 1895 Photo

South Parade Road During British Era Bangalore, 1895 Photo

Bangalore Photos, Old India Photos

South Parade Road During British Era Bangalore, 1895 Photo An 1895 photo of South Parade Road (now M G Road) [...]

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Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” Oleograph 1894

past-india.com

This site illustrates a past India through a collection of antique and vintage mediums of Raja Ravi Varma oleographs, old India photos, old postcards, old paper prints, and so on.

Although the collection may or may not be too varied, but generally projects a glimpse to what India looked like in the past. And how it has evolved since then. Few would realize that once there were Trams in Bombay, Madras, Delhi…

That, Madras operated the first electric Tram in India from 1895 up to its closure in 1953. With Calcutta and Bombay starting off with Horse-Drawn Trams, later electrifying them by the early 1900s.

That, in World War II, they camouflaged the Taj Mahal with bamboo scaffoldings. So as to project it as a construction site that perhaps would fool any air attacks from the Germans and Japanese might, although this never happened. All in all, the jewel in this collection is the rare Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” oleograph or chromolithograph of 1894. This was the first oleograph to come out from the then newly opened Raja Ravi Varma Fine Arts Lithograph Press(or FAL press) in 1894.

The many legacies of the British Raj are not missed out in this collection. Many of the buildings and streets have gone through several makeovers to the extent of being unrecognizable today or have completely disappeared from the scene. But the memories are kept alive hopefully to some extent by this collection.

As they say- “seeing is believing.” Hope you enjoy this collection. Please write to us at- info@past-india.com

Popular & Rare

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Past India

You can see the main categories on the top of the page, and except for the “Raja Ravi Varma Oleograph & Other Art” category all the other main categories have drop-down to sub-categories. You can then select the subject of your interest or you can check through the search box and if available it will display the results. The photos, prints & picture postcards depict a varied subjects of a Past India we may have forgotten- from people on the streets to people at grand events like Delhi durbar, from Taj Mahal to Gateway of India, from residential areas to commercial areas, from home exterior to interior of homes and so on. This site also includes a photo of "Charlie Chaplin" with his autograph signed on the back. There are also old maps, books, Raja Ravi Varma’s oelographs etc. “A picture is worth a thousand words” is an old adage, I’m sure this blog should interest you likewise. All the items displayed are from my personal collection unless otherwise specified.

Contact us:

info@past-india.com
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