Glimpses of history: An exhibition on postcards gives a peek into life in British India

Seema Sachdeva

On the reverse of a set of four postcards with images of buildings in Calcutta are neatly penned messages by Eloise, wife of a British official. Instead of writing a letter, Eloise had shared those postcards giving her aunt Jeanne back home an insight into her lived experiences as a foreigner in undivided India. The series is from the collection of nearly 80 postcards currently on display at an exhibition, ‘Hello & Goodbye: Postcards from the Early 20th Century’, at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bengaluru.

Giving a peek into the larger social and political framework in the early 1900s, each of these postcards has its own story to tell. Curated from a collection of more than 1,300 postcards, a majority of which have been gifted by avid art collectors Kenneth X and Joyce Robbins, these delve into the country’s print culture as well as the colonial history, mostly from the perspective of Europeans, particularly wives of British officers, who posted these back home to share snippets from their lives in India. A window to the social, political and cultural landscape from the 1890s till 1940s, the postcards take you on a visual journey that includes iconic monuments like the Taj Mahal in Agra, Esplanade Band Stand in Bombay, General Post Office in Calcutta, different ranks in the Indian army, of Ganpati from the embellished Raja Ravi Varma press collection, or simply a leaf out of the life of common people.

According to Meghana Kuppa, who co-curated this exhibition with Khushi Bansal, “Early 20th century was a time of much action, especially with the struggle for Independence gaining ground. We drew a lot of inspiration from the idea of identity and started looking closely at the social context.” While it was mostly the Europeans who were users of postcards, a small collection is of those written by Indians to fellow countrymen, says Khushi, adding that these included postcards by Marwadis, Gujaratis and Parsis, the latter being huge patrons of photography.

In contrast to the printed imagery of the European presses that stereotyped Indians and disseminated propaganda of the Crown, the prints from the Indian presses circulated imagery supporting the burgeoning nationalist movement, they say.

On the response to the exhibition, Khushi says, “Besides scholars and senior citizens, many young people are attending the exhibition. The browsing station is an experience many seem to enjoy. Besides this, we also have a counter of yellow postcards on which people can write their messages and we post it.”

Making it relevant to the present generation, an application on an iPad has been developed, says Meghana. A kiosk has been installed where people can digitally create their own postcards while taking material from within the exhibition. “We’ve made it a little fun by incorporating elements like taking your own picture and adding it to the postcard. You can write a message and send it to a loved one through WhatsApp and other social media channels.”

The postcards are part of the museum’s broad collection of ‘tiny objects’ which fit a relatively small dimension. These include textile labels, stamps, matchboxes, postcards, etc. Of the tiny object series, exhibiting the postcards is just the beginning. The exhibition, which started on April 6, is on till August 18.