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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
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Gateway Of India In British Era Bombay, 1940 Postcard
Gateway Of India In British Era Bombay, 1940 Postcard
Gallery

Gateway Of India In British Era Bombay, 1940 Postcard

Gateway Of India In British Era Bombay, 1940 Postcard

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

Gateway Of India In British Era Bombay, 1940 Postcard A 1940 photo postcard of the Gateway of India in British-era [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-07-22T17:07:52+05:30
Cannon Accident Fort St George Madras, 1870 Print
Cannon Accident Fort St George Madras, 1870 Print
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Cannon Accident Fort St George Madras, 1870 Print

Cannon Accident Fort St George Madras, 1870 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Cannon Accident Fort St George Madras, 1870 Print This is a page from The Illustrated London News of Jan 8, [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-06-22T06:46:38+05:30
Nizam Of Hyderabad Asaf Jah VI, 1889 Print
Nizam Of Hyderabad Asaf Jah VI, 1889 Print
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Nizam Of Hyderabad Asaf Jah VI, 1889 Print

Nizam Of Hyderabad Asaf Jah VI, 1889 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Nizam Of Hyderabad Asaf Jah VI, 1889 Print A page from The Illustrated London News of 1889 shows the Nizam [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-06-20T08:43:41+05:30
Lord Kitchener of British Indian Army, 1909 Print
Lord Kitchener of British Indian Army, 1909 Print
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Lord Kitchener of British Indian Army, 1909 Print

Lord Kitchener of British Indian Army, 1909 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Lord Kitchener of British Indian Army, 1909 Print Old 1909 print of the Commander in chief of the British Indian [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-04-19T12:42:33+05:30
Portable Railway British India, Old Photo 1876
Portable Railway British India, Old Photo 1876
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Portable Railway British India, Old Photo 1876

Portable Railway British India, Old Photo 1876

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Portable Railway British India, 1876 Photo  An 1876 photograph of a portable railway in British India. The portable railway is [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-06-16T07:26:51+05:30
Lorry In British Era Madras, Old Photo 1919
Lorry In British Era Madras, Old Photo 1919
Gallery

Lorry In British Era Madras, Old Photo 1919

Lorry In British Era Madras, Old Photo 1919

Colonial Era Motor Cars, More

Lorry In British Era Madras, Old Photo 1919 This old 1919 photograph is of a British-era Corporation of Madras Lorry.  [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-14T17:05:10+05:30
View of Back Bay From Malabar Hill Bombay, 1879 Photo
View of Back Bay From Malabar Hill Bombay, 1879 Photo
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View of Back Bay From Malabar Hill Bombay, 1879 Photo

View of Back Bay From Malabar Hill Bombay, 1879 Photo

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View of Back Bay From Malabar Hill Bombay, 1879 Photo This is an old 1879 photograph showing the Back Bay [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-07-03T00:39:57+05:30
Viceroy's Camp At The Delhi Durbar, Old Photo 1877
Viceroy’s Camp At The Delhi Durbar, Old Photo 1877
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Viceroy’s Camp At The Delhi Durbar, Old Photo 1877

Viceroy’s Camp At The Delhi Durbar, Old Photo 1877

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nb-develop-admin2024-02-18T05:53:59+05:30
Custom House At Ballard Pier Bombay, 1918 Postcard
Custom House At Ballard Pier Bombay, 1918 Postcard
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Custom House At Ballard Pier Bombay, 1918 Postcard

Custom House At Ballard Pier Bombay, 1918 Postcard

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Custom House At Ballard Pier Bombay, 1918 Postcard Old 1918 photo postcard of the Custom House at Ballard Pier in [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-07-07T21:30:53+05:30
Government House British Era Madras, Old Photo 1888
Government House British Era Madras, Old Photo 1888
Gallery

Government House British Era Madras, Old Photo 1888

Government House British Era Madras, Old Photo 1888

Madras Photos, Old India Photos

Government House British Era Madras, Old Photo 1888 This is an old 1880 photograph of the British India-era Government House [...]

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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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