Back to some early 20th century black and white images! First a fancy studio portrait of a neat young woman whose saree is just too white to photograph well. The set decorations almost overwhelm the sitter in her demure Parsi costume with the long-sleeved white blouse. In person her saree would have been striking, though. The borders were usually narrow but brightly coloured, and in what I’ve seen described as Chinese embroidery.
The second view, taken a decade or so later, is especially appealing - lovely because it seems so natural. Are they sisters or a mother and daughter? The girl on the left wears such a pretty saree, the loose wrap of the Bengali drape showing off the wonderful border that was probably printed. Even in a plain saree (just one tiny stripe), the tall lady on the right is elegant. Their use of dark cholis with light or pastel sarees is also very effective.
