Raja Ravi Varma’s Balamani Actress, 1902 Postcard
Old 1902 photo postcard of Balamoni or Balamani, who was a famous Travancore stage actress of the early 1900s. She was an exceptionally beautiful and charming lady. The photo shows her wearing the beautiful Malayali attire at the time.
She was a theater actress in Travancore now in Kerala state. She attracted a full house whenever she acted in any stage play or drama. As a drama queen, her acting career was at its peak, no other actor could come close to her in fame and acting. Although there is no proof of the liaison, neither is there any portrait of her created by Raja Ravi Varma. She was still vaguely linked to him since they knew each other.
See post- Raja Ravi Varma’s Portrait Photo – Old Postcard 1904.
Balamani (Balamoni) was much desired by kings and aristocrats, love-stricken musicians wrote songs about her beauty, and many an artist eagerly made her portraits. She made an immense amount of wealth in her acting career and also gave away generously, mainly for the betterment of downtrodden women. Unfortunately, she died of poverty in 1935.
Read more- The resurrection of Balamani.
Did you know- the Laxmi Vilas Palace, in Vadodara has the largest collection of Raja Ravi Varma paintings.
See more from the collection: Indian & African Rhinoceros Antique 1790 Print By Berthault., British Family In Bullock Cart – Old Postcard 1900., Chinese Boats On The Malabar Coast – Old Print 1746., Old Pictorial Book 1903 – Views of Bombay Old & New
