European Lady In Hand-Pulled Rickshaw In Simla, 1912 Photo
An old 1912 photo of a European Lady on a hand-pulled rickshaw in Simla (now Shimla). This rare vintage photograph captures a distinguished European lady, possibly the wife of a British Governor or high-ranking colonial official, seated on a hand-pulled rickshaw in Simla (Shimla), India’s famous summer capital during the British Raj.
The scene shows the lady being transported by Indian rickshaw pullers in Simla–the summer capital of British India for nearly six months each year. Hand-pulled rickshaws, believed to have first originated in Japan in 1869. It became a common mode of transport in some cities in colonial India. The preference for it over horse carts was largely due to its lower cost and ease of use in the hilly terrain.
By the 1890s, the hand-pulled rickshaw had become a cheap and popular mode of transport across many Asian countries, as horses were costly to maintain and primarily reserved for military use. Originating in Japan in 1869, rickshaw manufacturing soon expanded, with Japan exporting them as far as South Africa.
The concept spread rapidly, reaching Singapore by 1880 and later becoming an iconic means of conveyance throughout colonial Asia. In Japan, their use declined and ended by the 1940s, while in many other countries they remained in service until as late as the 1980s and even the 1990s. Click on photo to enlarge.
Did you know – in India it was introduced in the early 1900s. It spread out rapidly to Calcutta, Bombay, Cochin, Madras, etc. But between the 1960s to the 1980s, it was discontinued. Calcutta banned it only in 2005.
From the collection – Raja Ravi Varma’s “Mohini On A Swing” – Vintage Print 1930s., Earliest View of Bowring Institute Bangalore, 1890., View Of Bangalore From St Andrew’s Church 1890., The Dutch Capture of Cochin – Antique Plan 1702.
