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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
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Bombay Welcomes King George & Queen Mary, 1911
Bombay Welcomes King George & Queen Mary, 1911
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Bombay Welcomes King George & Queen Mary, 1911

Bombay Welcomes King George & Queen Mary, 1911

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Bombay Welcomes King George & Queen Mary, 1911 A rare photo 1911 photo of King George V and Queen Mary [...]

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Delhi Durbar 1877, Queen Victoria Empress of India
Delhi Durbar of 1877 In Honour of Queen Victoria, 1877 Photo
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Delhi Durbar of 1877 In Honour of Queen Victoria, 1877 Photo

Delhi Durbar of 1877 In Honour of Queen Victoria, 1877 Photo

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Esplanade Road British Era Bombay, Old Photo 1877
Esplanade Road British Era Bombay, Old Photo 1877
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Esplanade Road British Era Bombay, Old Photo 1877

Esplanade Road British Era Bombay, Old Photo 1877

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Esplanade Road British Era Bombay, Old Photo 1877 An old 1877 photo of Esplanade Road in British-era Bombay, now Mumbai. [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-02-14T16:06:31+05:30
World's First Airmail Flight In India, 1911 - 2 Postcards
World’s First Airmail Flight In India, 1911 – 2 Postcards
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World’s First Airmail Flight In India, 1911 – 2 Postcards

World’s First Airmail Flight In India, 1911 – 2 Postcards

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Spencer's British Era Store Madras, 1967 Postcard
Spencer’s British Era Store Madras, 1967 Postcard
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Spencer’s British Era Store Madras, 1967 Postcard

Spencer’s British Era Store Madras, 1967 Postcard

Madras Postcards, Old India Postcards

Spencer's British Era Store Madras, 1967 Postcard A 1967 photo postcard of Spencer's a British-era department store in Madras (Chennai). [...]

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Old Book 1934 – A Guide To Elephanta

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Borah Bazar Street Bombay British Era, 1895 Photo
Borah Bazar Street Bombay British Era, 1895 Photo
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Borah Bazar Street Bombay British Era, 1895 Photo

Borah Bazar Street Bombay British Era, 1895 Photo

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Borah Bazar Street Bombay British Era, 1895 Photo old 1895 photo of Borah Bazar Street in British-era Bombay, now Mumbai.  [...]

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Erecting Pamban Railway Bridge British India, 1914
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Installation of Pamban Railway Bridge British India Era, 1914 Print

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River Cooum & St George’s Bridge Madras, 1900 PC
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River Cooum & St George’s Bridge Madras, 1900 PC

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Street Scene In British Era Bangalore, Old PC 1920
Street Scene In British Era Bangalore, Old PC 1920
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Street Scene In British Era Bangalore, Old PC 1920

Street Scene In British Era Bangalore, Old PC 1920

Bangalore Postcards, Old India Postcards

Street Scene In British Era Bangalore, Old Postcard 1920. An old 1920 photo postcard of a street scene in the [...]

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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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