Category Archives: 1940s

The 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 containing honey, and the … Continue reading

Posted in 16th Century, 17th century, 18th century, 1910s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 19th century, Ancient India, British Raj, Colonial, historical art, historical costume, indian art, Indian Cooking, Indian Literature, Indian men, Indian Women, Medieval India, Mughal India, Paintings, Sanskrit Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Forest Post

Pic 1: Nandalal Bose, Evening, 1941. Pic 2: Girl in  a Forest, Allah Bux, 1963.  [X] Pic 1: Girl from Chotanagpur (1956) Pic 2: One of a series taken of a Santhal festival in Santiniketan. Via Shibaditya Ray. The original … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 21st century, Accessories, Art, Indian fashion, Indian Women, Tribal, vintage art, vintage sari, vintage style | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The 1940s Film Post

இது, இது, இது எல்லாம் ஜப்பான். எல்லாம் செத்து ஒரு ரூபாய் கூட இருக்காது! This, this, this, it’s all from Japan. And all together not more than 1 Rupee! 1940s movies can be a bit amateurish to the modern eye but they can … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, 20th century, Accessories, Actor, Cinema, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, Film Costuming, Flowers, Hair, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian Women, Japan, Movies, regional styles, retro fashion, Sari, Sari Blouse, sari drape, sari history, Sets, South India, South Indian Cinema, Tamil, Tamil Cinema, Tamil Nadu, Vintage, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion, vintage jewellery, vintage sari, vintage style, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

The Pallu Drape Post

Though in our times the fashion is to leave the pallu (the loose end of the sari) largely unsecured,  historically there were several ways of securing or draping the pallu of a nivi sari. In the 1930s-1940s when the nivi … Continue reading

Posted in 1930s, 1940s, paper dolls, sari drape, Vintage Blouse, vintage sari | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The SE Asia/East Asia Post

South-East Asia/East Asia 1. Thailand (1905) 2. Cambodia (1928) 3. Laos (1930) 4. Bali (1935) 5. Malaysia (Peranakan) 1930s 6. Indonesia (1940) 7. Vietnam (1930) 8. China (1930s) 9. Korea 10. Japan (1930s). I have spent a fair bit of … Continue reading

Posted in 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, Asia, China, Colonial, Costume, Culture, Dress Reform, Early 19th century, East Asia, fashion, Girls, historical costume, History, Photography, Postcards, South East Asia, Studio Portraits, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Kanan Devi

My tumblr avatar is usually that of the actress Kanan Devi, a star of the 1930s and 1940s. Though the silents had a number of famous actresses, it is with the talkies and the 1930s that you find stars and … Continue reading

Posted in 1930s, 1940s, Actor, Bengal, Cinema, Colonial, Culture, Early 20th Century, fashion, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian Singers, Indian Women, Music, Sari, Sari Blouse, vintage fashion, vintage sari, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The 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 … Continue reading

Posted in 1870s, 1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 19th century, 20th century, Bengal, British Raj, Colonial, Early 20th Century, Flapper, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian History, Indian Women, Sari, Sari Blouse, Vintage, Vintage Blouse, vintage fashion, vintage sari | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Group Photo Post

Group photographs are great because they give an actual sense of what people wore back in the day. The first pic for example is probably Madras in the 1930s. All the women are in the then modern six-yard sari.  The … Continue reading

Posted in 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, churidar kameez, Colonial, Costume, Early 19th century, Education, fashion, Girls, History, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Indian Women, Photography, Salwar Kameez, Sari, Sari Blouse, Sets, Tamil, Vintage Blouse, Vintage Dress, vintage sari | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In the West

  Indra Dugar‘s paintings of the 1940s-the colours and costumes suggest Rajasthan/Gujarat.

Posted in 1940s, Art, Costume, fashion, Indian Dress, Paintings, Rural, vintage art, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

À La Mode in Lahore – Khazanchi (1941)

Khazanchi (Cashier) is a 1941 movie which is significant for several reasons (for the full movie X). First, it was amongst a clutch of popular movies made in Lahore that brought in new modes of movie making, until then the … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, Asia, Cinema, Culture, cycling, Dress Reform, Early 20th Century, fashion, India, Indian Cinema, Indian Dress, Indian fashion, Islamic Dress, Movies, Pakistan, Salwar Kameez, Vintage Dress, vintage fashion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments