G D Paulraj - Tea Shop

Painting by Paulraj of a tea shop which is a regular painting that he used to do.

At the end of the street two women with large pots of their heads are just walking out of sight round the corner.  Also the man in the centre left might have been out delivering tea (tea to go!).

 

Signature part of which is obscured by the frame. Followed by a label on the reverse of the painting showing it was framed in Bombay.

Hooghly Ink Company

While tidying up my desk I unearthed an old address book given to me by my father when he worked at the Hooghly Ink Company Ltd in Calcutta.  They also had factories in Madras, Bombay and Delhi. This address book dates from the late 1960's and the cover says "Manufacturers of fine printing inks for over 50 years."

Like all firms they had a selection of gifts to give to business contacts and clients, I also had a thread counter, a calendar and pen holder for a desk, an ink blotter, a keyring and of course they produced a calendar every year.  That would be interesting to track down a calendar.  I do remember that my sister featured on the calendar one year as a young child.  I think the business was first set up in India in the 1920's or early based on the statement on the address book it could be earlier but I am not certain?  It originally was a subsidy company of the UK ink manufacturer called Richardson's Printing Inks.

G D Paulraj - Newborn

I was recently contacted by a lady from the USA who owns three paintings by Paulraj which she has inherited from her aunt who spent several years working in Bombay in India around 1958 to 1961.  While she was there she acquired the three paintings.  It is not known if she got them directly from Paul or mail order or from an exhibition.  The first is a rainy day showing a farmer carrying the newborn calf back home.  The colours seem to have faded a bit on the painting.

It is a nice painting but monsoon paintings are not my favourite as I much prefer blue sky.  Many thanks to Dot for sharing these paintings.

G D Thyagaraj - Gateway to India

This painting looks like it is by G D Thyagaraj but the signature is not particularly clear it shows the Gateway to India in Bombay now Mumbai.

I have added a copy of the signature as well as sometimes it is read as A D and not G D.

Henry Brown - Photograph taken in Bombay

Slight variation today, I have been doing a lot of family tree research over the last few years and my wife and I own two old photo albums one from each family.  While looking at the photos in her album we came across a couple that were taken in Bombay in the 1890's.  The photo is of her Great Grandmothers brother Henry Brown who was born in 1867 in Sunderland, in Northern England.  It seems he might have become a missionary and spent a few years in India.

It was taken at a photographers in Kalbadevi Road, Bombay.  Fortunately the photos is dated on the back as being taken on 20th May 1892 when he was aged 24 years.

The photographers appear to have been a firm called Gomes and De Lair.  I wonder if anyone knows if Kalbadevi Road still exists?  I thought it would be interesting to share this photo so show the family connection to India on my wife's side of the family as well.  Henry eventually moved to Canada and we know he was living in Prince Edward Island by 1911.   The family loast touch with Henry Brown after he moved to Canada.

Norman Ellison - Bombay

I have decided to post another painting by Norman Ellison a British artist who was in the army during the second World War based in India.  This painting shows Bombay from the sea.

I liked this painting, the colours appealed to my taste. I believe it was painted around 1944 or 1945.

Norman Ellison - Flora Fountain, Bombay 1944

In 2008 a whole series of water colours by an amateur English artist who was serving in army during the second world war auctioned on Ebay.  There were quite a few good scenes that he captured of rural village life and general landscapes.

I purchased the one below as a gift for my youngest daughter and he partner Rajiv as is is from Mumbai and of course is familiar with the Flora Fountain which appears to be the image of the painting.  All Norman Ellison's paintings of India were done during the war years.

The sky seems very flat and grey but he has captured the fountain and the buildings with no traffic at all.