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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
nb-develop-admin2022-12-30T08:37:02+05:30
General Post Office British Era Calcutta, Photo 1930
General Post Office British Era Calcutta, Photo 1930
Gallery

General Post Office British Era Calcutta, Photo 1930

General Post Office British Era Calcutta, Photo 1930

Calcutta Photos, Old India Photos

General Post Office British Era Calcutta, Photo 1930 Old 1930 photo of the GPO or General Post Office of British [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-12-29T18:37:05+05:30
Fiat Trucks For British India Military, 1915 Postcard
Fiat Trucks For British India Military, 1915 Postcard
Gallery

Fiat Trucks For British India Military, 1915 Postcard

Fiat Trucks For British India Military, 1915 Postcard

Colonial Era Motor Cars, More

Fiat Trucks For British India Military, 1915 Postcard A rare old 1915 postcard of Fiat trucks being supplied to the [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-04-22T04:24:09+05:30
Old Book 1911 - The Indian Coronation Durbar
Old Book 1911 – The Indian Coronation Durbar
Gallery

Old Book 1911 – The Indian Coronation Durbar

Old Book 1911 – The Indian Coronation Durbar

Books & Publications, More

Old Book 1911 - The Indian Coronation Durbar Title- The Indian Coronation Durbar, A Cruise To India, China, Japan Year- [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-03-06T06:45:16+05:30
Prince of Wales Museum As Hospital In WWI Bombay, 1917 Print
Prince of Wales Museum As Hospital In WWI Bombay, 1917 Print
Gallery

Prince of Wales Museum As Hospital In WWI Bombay, 1917 Print

Prince of Wales Museum As Hospital In WWI Bombay, 1917 Print

Bombay Prints, Old India Prints

Prince of Wales Museum As Hospital In WWI Bombay, 1917 Print A 1917 picture clip of the Prince of Wales [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-03-06T17:51:37+05:30
Governor's Departure From Madras To Calcutta, 1912 Print
Governor’s Departure From Madras To Calcutta, 1912 Print
Gallery

Governor’s Departure From Madras To Calcutta, 1912 Print

Governor’s Departure From Madras To Calcutta, 1912 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Governor's Departure From Madras To Calcutta, 1912 Print A 1912 print that shares a British Governor's departure from Madras (Chennai) [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-06-26T18:45:34+05:30
Newly Completed Victoria Memorial Calcutta, 1921
Newly Completed Victoria Memorial Calcutta, 1921
Gallery

Newly Completed Victoria Memorial Calcutta, 1921

Newly Completed Victoria Memorial Calcutta, 1921

Calcutta Photos, Old India Photos

Newly Completed Victoria Memorial Calcutta, 5 Photos 1921 A collection of 5 small sized 1921 photos of the Victoria Memorial [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-12-23T08:46:25+05:30
Bangalore Palace, Old Postcard 1900
Bangalore Palace, Old Postcard 1900
Gallery

Bangalore Palace, Old Postcard 1900

Bangalore Palace, Old Postcard 1900

Bangalore Postcards, Old India Postcards

Royal Palace Bangalore, Old Postcard 1900 Old 1900 photo postcard of the Royal Palace in Bangalore, now Bengaluru. It was [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-02-16T19:15:21+05:30
Viceroy Lord Curzon's Cavalcade Bombay, 1905 Postcard
Viceroy Lord Curzon’s Cavalcade Bombay, 1905 Postcard
Gallery

Viceroy Lord Curzon’s Cavalcade Bombay, 1905 Postcard

Viceroy Lord Curzon’s Cavalcade Bombay, 1905 Postcard

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

Viceroy Lord Curzon's Cavalcade Bombay, 1905 Postcard A 1905 postcard of Viceroy Lord Curzon's cavalcade in Bombay (Mumbai). Driving through [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-12-21T17:24:10+05:30
Train Journey From Calcutta to Madras In 1901
Train Journey From Calcutta to Madras In 1901
Gallery

Train Journey From Calcutta to Madras In 1901

Train Journey From Calcutta to Madras In 1901

India Railway, More

Train Journey From Calcutta to Madras In 1901 An old 1901 print of a train journey from Calcutta (Kolkata) to [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-12-27T16:13:44+05:30
Darjeeling Toy Train, Old Stereo Photo 1908
Darjeeling Toy Train, Old Stereo Photo 1908
Gallery

Darjeeling Toy Train, Old Stereo Photo 1908

Darjeeling Toy Train, Old Stereo Photo 1908

India Railway, More

Darjeeling Toy Train, Old Stereo Photo 1908 This is a stereo photo from 1908 that shows an early Darjeeling Toy [...]

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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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