Rare maps, snaps offer glimpse into years of colonial India

New Delhi, Dec. 6: An upcoming online auction features 82 rare and carefully selected old maps, vintage photographs, and gilt-bound books. The lots offer a glimpse into over 200 years of colonial India, presenting an extraordinary opportunity for collectors of historical memorabilia.

Titled “Old Maps, Books and Photographs”, the auction will take place on storyltd.com on December 13 and 14.

The books on auction date back to the mid-1700s to the early 20th century and feature exquisite gilded covers, lavish illustrations and vivid descriptions of accounts as they unfolded at the time. These books are priced between Rs 14,000 and Rs 8 lakh.
The maps range from engraved, hand-coloured, topographical renderings to records of early settlements in India and around the world. They are tagged between Rs 20,000 and Rs 3 lakh.

Photographs include rare, hand-coloured portraits of royal families, and albumen pictures of Indian monuments and are estimated between Rs 25,000 and Rs 6 lakh.

The upcoming sale include maps, photographs of picturesque landscapes, monuments, and portraits of maharajas.The categories also present some of the earliest recordings of official events such as coronations, battle scenes, and ethnographic studies of Indian life.