University of Pennsylvania Finding Aids

This album contains 68 12 x 8 inch photographs of India and the 2nd Highland Light Infantry (74th Highlanders) in the late 19th century. About one third of the photos are of the regiment and the rest are photos of India (mostly Shimla, Calcutta, Cherat, and Lucknow).

This collection is composed of about 80 photographs taken in India in and around 1945 by an unidentified soldier, likely British.

This photo album contains seventeen different images from the National Eucharistic Congress of India held in Chennai (then Madras) in 1937. Eucharistic Congresses, which drew large numbers of attendees and typically lasted for a few days, featured legates from the Vatican and centered around a mass adoration of the Eucharist. All of the images in the scrapbook are black and white, and most of the pages with images are also embellished with different pen-and-ink drawings or decorative sketches. It is unknown who composed the scrapbook in this collection, but it seems likely that he or she was involved in the planning of the Congress or had some authority over the event.

This collection consists of three scrapbooks compiled by Arthur Cartwright, a British soldier who served in India under the 5th West Kents during World War I. It is unclear if Cartwright saw combat while serving in India, as many Territorial battalions spent the war on garrison duty and relieved the Regular battalions for front-line service. Indeed, his photographs mainly depict aspects of his life in a military camp and attest to the sightseeing Cartwright embarked upon throughout northern India and especially in Agra. Most of the photographs in these three albums are captioned.

Following Indian independence in 1947, the British and Indian armies agreed to divide the Gurkha regiments between the two armies. British, Indian, and Nepalese delegations met in Nepal from July 1947 to January 1948 in order to discuss the terms of service of the Gurkha soldier as well as specific rights granted to them in relation to religion, rates of pay, performance and conduct, and leave from duty. This photograph album, containing 90 photographs, documents the three delegations' tour through Nepal. The images, probably created by a British delegate of the Mission, are labeled and the album includes photographs of people, landscapes, and historical and religious sites.

This photograph album was probably created by a British subject traveling (or possibly living) in Karachi, in what is now Pakistan. For the most part, these beautiful photographs which were carefully mounted and captioned appear to be travel photographs, although the time frame of the album, dating from 1930 to 1935, indicates the photographer and compiler was in the country for longer than a mere visit. The album appears to cover areas of what is now Pakistan and northern India, with a focus on Karachi, Port Said, Sandspit, New Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Seringapatam, and Sivasamudram. Photographs focus largely on urban and scenic vistas, but the photographer also documents the people of India.

This volume chronicles the time a British soldier spent in the Royal Bombay Sappers and Miners near the end of World War II and after, working on roads and other projects.

This collection is composed of several hundred photographs taken in India and Egypt, probably by a British soldier during the 1930s.

This collection consists of about 170 photographs, placed in an album, taken in India between 1930 and 1934 by an unidentified British soldier. Though the soldier is unknown, it is almost certain that he served in the Royal Fusiliers. The photographs in the album largely depict the every day life of British soldiers and their social activities, as well as providing evidence of British interest in Indian life and customs.

This collection is composed of a photograph album containing photographs of various regions of India. The cover lists the following dates and cities: 1895-1896, Bombay, Ahmedabad, Jeypore, Amber, Delhi, Agra, Fatipur, Benares, Calcutta, Darjeeling and Madras. A few of the photos capture individuals participating in events such as the tiger hunt or the elephant ride but the majority of the photographs are of landscapes. Most of the photos are large (around 7x10 inches) and are of high artistic quality. Some of the photographs are labelled but most are not. The bookplate on the first page indicates the album was at least owned, and probably compiled, by Ernest Rudolph Gunther.

This photograph album documents a General Motors plant in Calcutta from 1944 to 1945 and the activities of the creator while in India.

Captain Harold A. Budke was a medic in the United States Army, posted in Calcutta from 1945 to 1946. The photographs in his album document his experiences from his trip to Calcutta, to his service with the United States Army Dispensary, to his day-to-day experiences in the city, and to his work preparing the U.S.S. Marine Panther to transport GI's and patients from India in early 1946.

Major Henry George Vaux (1883-1957) was a military secretary in the British Army, posted in India. He served as Aide de Camp to Lord Carmichael who served as Governor of Victoria from 1908 to 1911, Governor of Madras from 1911 to 1912, and Governor of Bengal from 1912 to 1914. Major Vaux also served under Lord Ronaldshay, Lord Lytton and Lord Sykes. He was named Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1921 by King George the V. Major Vaux ended his career as a Lieutenant Colonel. The five volumes of photographs capture the luxurious style and activities present in the lives of the highest ranking British military posted to India, and their families, in the early part of the 20th century. The subject of many photographs are the leisure activities enjoyed by this group – horse races, polo, hunting, tennis – as well as ceremonial events such as visits of kings, queens and dignitaries of all kind. Some family life is included as well through wedding photos, photos of pets, and of the many residences in which this all took place.

This volume, probably created by a British citizen living in India as a result of military service, consists of more than 300 photographs taken from 1927 to 1942. Most of the photographs are set in the Assam state of India, though there are several pages filled with photographs of English villages. The album documents life for the British community in India during the first half of the 20th century.

This collection of about 200 photographs represents the time a young woman spent in India from October of 1945 to January of 1947, while she was likely working at military hospitals.

This photograph album captures the daily life of rural Indians in 1945 as seen by either an American or British military doctor.

This photograph album includes 97 photos taken between 1909 and 1914 in India, primarily in the Shimla and Pune area. The photographer is unknown, but it is likely that he was a British soldier in the 3rd Sappers and Miners in the Indian Army.

This album, carefully created by Irving Eisner, chronicles his time as a corporal in the U.S. Army posted in India from 1942 to 1944. It mostly focuses on his friendships with other military personnel and his vacations while in India.

This volume consists of photographs of Karachi, Bombay, and Lahore, that may have been taken at the end of World War II. There are several loose post-war photographs that may have been taken in the creator's hometown, possibly in Canada.

This collection captures what is likely a vacation of a British couple with their dog and at least one staff person through the region of Kulu and Kashmir from 1918 to 1919.

This collection depicts the experience of a young British soldier in the 8th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, possibly a lance bombardier named Davies, in India from 1935 to 1940.

This collection is consists of one album of just under 100 photographs taken in India from 1944 to 1945 by a leading aircraft man (L.A.C.) in the Royal Air Force whose surname was Clinton. The photos in the album are all of India. In addition, there is a handful of loose photos from outside India.

This collection consists of post cards of India, the bulk of which document missionary work in India and Sri Lanka during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This photograph album, created by an unidentified British soldier, contains pictures from the Razmak Brigade (located along the North West Frontier of India, near Afghanistan) during the 1930s, likely during the Waziristan campaign. The album documents the wartime realities and daily life of the soldiers and locals in the region.

Robert and Barbara Barlow (Bob and Babs) traveled to India from 1943 to 1945. It is unclear from the volume if the Barlows were visiting India as a result of service during World War II or if they were traveling for pleasure. The album, titled "Street Scenes in India" provides no hints to who the Barlows were or why they were in India, but contains photographs of the various sights (both architectural and cultural) found during their stay.