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Homedevmaster2024-04-27T10:47:08+05:30
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Cameron Highlanders British Regiment Bangalore, 1911 PC
Cameron Highlanders British Regiment Bangalore, 1911 PC
Gallery

Cameron Highlanders British Regiment Bangalore, 1911 PC

Cameron Highlanders British Regiment Bangalore, 1911 PC

Bangalore Postcards, Old India Postcards

Cameron Highlanders British Regiment Bangalore, 1911 PC This is an old 1911 photo postcard of a British regiment that was ....read more

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devmaster2024-02-26T16:29:44+05:30
Maharajah of Cochin At Onam Celebration, 1948 Postcard
Maharajah of Cochin At Onam Celebration, 1948 Postcard
Gallery

Maharajah of Cochin At Onam Celebration, 1948 Postcard

Maharajah of Cochin At Onam Celebration, 1948 Postcard

Cochin & Kerala Postcards, Old India Postcards

Maharajah of Cochin At Onam Celebration, 1948 Postcard A 1948 postcard of the Maharaja of Cochin at the annual Onam ....read more

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devmaster2024-01-14T17:41:15+05:30
Robert Bristow's Cochin Harbour - 3 Postcards 1947
Robert Bristow’s Cochin Harbour – 3 Postcards 1947
Gallery

Robert Bristow’s Cochin Harbour – 3 Postcards 1947

Robert Bristow’s Cochin Harbour – 3 Postcards 1947

Cochin & Kerala Postcards, Old India Postcards

Robert Bristow's Cochin Harbour - 3 Postcards 1947 Three old 1940s photo postcards of  Robert Bristow's Cochin Harbour. Robert Bristow ....read more

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devmaster2024-02-04T05:04:02+05:30
British Family On Horse Cart Life In Colonial India, 1880 Photo
British Family On Horse Cart Life In Colonial India, 1880 Photo
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British Family On Horse Cart Life In Colonial India, 1880 Photo

British Family On Horse Cart Life In Colonial India, 1880 Photo

Old India Photos, Other India Photos

British Family On Horse Cart Life In Colonial India, 1880 Photo An old 1880 shows a glimpse of life during ....read more

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Tiger Hunting With Viceroy & Maharaja At Gwalior, 1914 Photo
Tiger Hunting Viceroy & Maharaja At Gwalior, 1914 Photo
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Tiger Hunting Viceroy & Maharaja At Gwalior, 1914 Photo

Tiger Hunting Viceroy & Maharaja At Gwalior, 1914 Photo

Old India Photos, Other India Photos

Tiger Hunting Viceroy & Maharaja At Gwalior, 1914 Photo   A 1914 photo of a tiger hunting by a Viceroy ....read more

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19th-century watercolour and pencil figure studies attributed to Major A. C. Hutchinson, depicting European women in Victorian and classical attire, possibly created by an officer of the Bengal Artillery in British India.
19th C. European Women in Watercolour and Pencil by Hutchinson
Gallery

19th C. European Women in Watercolour and Pencil by Hutchinson

19th C. European Women in Watercolour and Pencil by Hutchinson

Art & Raja Ravi Varma Collection

19th-Century European Women in Watercolour and Pencil by Major A. C. Hutchinson A 19th-century watercolour painting of European women by ....read more

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Aerial View of India's Parliament, 1930 Postcard
Aerial View of India’s Parliament, 1930 Postcard
Gallery

Aerial View of India’s Parliament, 1930 Postcard

Aerial View of India’s Parliament, 1930 Postcard

Delhi Postcards, Old India Postcards

Aerial View of India's Parliament, 1930 Postcard This is an old 1930 postcard showing the aerial view of the Indian ....read more

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Eden Garden & Harbour On The Hooghly Calcutta, 1905 Print
Eden Garden & Harbour On The Hooghly Calcutta, 1905 Print
Gallery

Eden Garden & Harbour On The Hooghly Calcutta, 1905 Print

Eden Garden & Harbour On The Hooghly Calcutta, 1905 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Eden Garden & Harbour On The Hooghly Calcutta, 1905 Print A 1905 print of Eden Garden and the harbour on ....read more

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devmaster2026-06-11T10:12:54+05:30
1900 view of Esplanade Road in Madras showing Madras High Court, Armenian Church dome, Anderson Church spire, and an early electric tram.
Esplanade Road (NSC Bose Road) British Era Madras, 1900 Photo
Gallery

Esplanade Road (NSC Bose Road) British Era Madras, 1900 Photo

Esplanade Road (NSC Bose Road) British Era Madras, 1900 Photo

Madras Photos, Old India Photos

Esplanade Road (NSC Bose Road) British Era Madras, 1900 Photo A fascinating 1900 photograph captures the bustling Esplanade Road of ....read more

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devmaster2024-02-04T05:24:34+05:30
Chepauk Palace In Madras, 1895 Photo
Chepauk Palace In Madras, 1895 Photo
Gallery

Chepauk Palace In Madras, 1895 Photo

Chepauk Palace In Madras, 1895 Photo

Madras Photos, Old India Photos

Chepauk Palace In Madras, 1895 Photo An 1895 photo of the Chepauk Palace in Madras, now Chennai. Once an impressive ....read more

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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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