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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
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Viceroy's Bodyguards British India, Old Photo 1934
The Viceroy’s Bodyguards British India, 1934 Photo
Gallery

The Viceroy’s Bodyguards British India, 1934 Photo

The Viceroy’s Bodyguards British India, 1934 Photo

Delhi Photos, Old India Photos

The Viceroy's Bodyguards British India, 1934 Photo This is an old 1934 photo of the Viceroy's Bodyguards in the British [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-02-16T21:15:09+05:30
King George V & Queen Mary In Bombay - 3 Postcards 1911
King George V & Queen Mary In Bombay – 3 Postcards 1911
Gallery

King George V & Queen Mary In Bombay – 3 Postcards 1911

King George V & Queen Mary In Bombay – 3 Postcards 1911

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

King George V & Queen Mary In Bombay - 3 Postcards 1911 Three old 1911 postcards of King George V [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-06T09:03:10+05:30
European General Hospital Bombay, Old PC 1900
European General Hospital Bombay, Old PC 1900
Gallery

European General Hospital Bombay, Old PC 1900

European General Hospital Bombay, Old PC 1900

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

European General Hospital Bombay, Old PC 1900 An old 1900 photo postcard of the European General Hospital in Bombay, now [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-12-16T05:01:56+05:30
British Women In Field Sports India, Photo 1890
British Women In Field Sports India, Photo 1890
Gallery

British Women In Field Sports India, Photo 1890

British Women In Field Sports India, Photo 1890

Old India Photos, Other India Photos

British Women In Field Sports India, Photo 1890 Old 1890 photo of British Women readying for field sports in colonial [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-21T22:59:12+05:30
Prince of Wales's Tour of British India, 1921 Photo
Prince of Wales’s Tour of British India, 1921 Photo
Gallery

Prince of Wales’s Tour of British India, 1921 Photo

Prince of Wales’s Tour of British India, 1921 Photo

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Prince of Wales's Tour of British India, Photo 1921 An old 1921 photo of Edward VIII Prince of Wales's Tour [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-12-06T13:24:19+05:30
Hooghly River & High Court Kolkata, Old PC 1910
Hooghly River & High Court Kolkata, Old PC 1910
Gallery

Hooghly River & High Court Kolkata, Old PC 1910

Hooghly River & High Court Kolkata, Old PC 1910

Calcutta Postcard, Old India Postcards

Hooghly River & High Court Kolkata, Old PC 1910 An old 1910 postcard of the Hooghly River and the High [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-06T09:04:23+05:30
New Market British Era Kolkata, Old Postcard 1916
New Market British Era Kolkata, Old Postcard 1916
Gallery

New Market British Era Kolkata, Old Postcard 1916

New Market British Era Kolkata, Old Postcard 1916

Calcutta Postcard, Old India Postcards

New Market British Era Kolkata, Old Postcard 1916 An old 1916 photo postcard of the New Market in British-era Calcutta, [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-12-05T07:44:57+05:30
Great Eastern Hotel Kolkata, Old Postcard 1905
Great Eastern Hotel Kolkata, Old Postcard 1905
Gallery

Great Eastern Hotel Kolkata, Old Postcard 1905

Great Eastern Hotel Kolkata, Old Postcard 1905

Calcutta Postcard, Old India Postcards

Great Eastern Hotel Kolkata, Old Postcard 1905 An old 1905 photo postcard of the Great Eastern Hotel in Calcutta, now [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-12-04T15:16:33+05:30
Viceroy Visits Nizam's Hyderabad, Old Print 1911
Viceroy Visits Nizam’s Hyderabad, Old Print 1911
Gallery

Viceroy Visits Nizam’s Hyderabad, Old Print 1911

Viceroy Visits Nizam’s Hyderabad, Old Print 1911

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Viceroy Visits Nizam's Hyderabad, Old Print 1911 An old 1911 print of British India's Viceroy visiting NIzam's Hyderabad. This print [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-04-17T15:35:16+05:30
Parliament House New Delhi Newly Completed in 1927, Old Print
Parliament House New Delhi Newly Completed in 1927, Old Print
Gallery

Parliament House New Delhi Newly Completed in 1927, Old Print

Parliament House New Delhi Newly Completed in 1927, Old Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Parliament House New Delhi Newly Completed, 1927 Print A 1927 print of the Council Chamber or Parliament House in New [...]

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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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