The Ayah Post-3
A look at how past fashions influence modern fashions: Detail from Warren Hastings with his wife and Indian maid, painted sometime between 1784-87. Floor length “anarkalis” (no doubt known by a...
View ArticleMidweek Post- 3
In the closing decades of the nineteenth century in a land already thronging with all manner of gods and goddesses there surfaced a novel deity of nation and country who at some moments in the...
View ArticleThe Diaspora Post
The heavy silver jewellery and skirts of Indian communities from Central and Western India are reflected in early photographs of immigrants to the West Indies. Early immigrants were often indentured...
View ArticleThe evolution of the modern sari
It’s been difficult for me to update this blog along with tumblr as I am a little hard pressed for time. The only significant thing that I need to update here are a series of posts I am doing on …...
View ArticleThe 1930s post
The Sari: 1931-1940 Almost every decade has a signature sari. In the 1920s it was the chiffon with a zari border (pics 1 and 2 are from 1924 and 1931). The borders were generally small and stitched...
View ArticleThe Food Post
The iconography of Annapurna is given in the Agamas as a youthful goddess of red complexion having a face round like moon, three eyes, high breasts; the left hand carrying a vessel set with rubies and...
View ArticleLit Post – 3
Kamala was simply dressed in a pink silk sari, fastened on the right shoulder with the diamond coronet which Tara had lately given her. The thick soft tresses of her long jet-black hair were wreathed...
View ArticleA short list of Indian period dramas
While doing posts on contemporary regional Indian period movies, I made a rough list of Indian period films. These are listed below. Some are historicals but the bulk fall into the 19th and 20th...
View ArticleThe Brahmika drape
I had an anon question on tumblr as an earlier question on wordpress that I will answer here together as they are kind of related. 1. I saw an early 19th century painting which showed women in a blouse...
View ArticleThe 1910 saree
Details of a studio portrait of the youngest daughter of the Maharaja of Cooch Behar, Princess Sudhira. Taken in 1910. Though Gayatri Devi is the most well known, Cooch Behar royalty that preceded her...
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