Pashtun women, 1919

 

Pashtun women (captioned as "Wazirs"), NWFP, 1919 (c). Photo by R.B.Holmes.

An old Waziri Pashtun woman, Bannu, 1897 (c)

 

An old Waziri Pashtun woman; a patient in Bannu Hospital, 1897 (c).

Caption: "She had tramped many weary miles to come to the Bannu Hospital. She is exceedingly poor, as is seen from her rags. On the journey she has lost one of her grass shoes, that cost a penny a pair. She was suffering from cataract. She left the hospital able to see."

Source: Pennell of the Afghan frontier; the life of Theodore Leighton Pennell.

A Wazir Pashtun in the Afghan Medical Mission at Bannu in the consulting room, 1897.

Afghan Kochi nomads loading their camels, 1940 (c)

Pashtun Kochi nomads loading their camels, 1940 (c)

Collection: Church Missionary Society Unofficial Papers: Family papers of Dr Lilian Starr ('Stella') Underhill, CMS medical missionary to Pakistan. 

Source:  Cadbury Research Library

Pashtun nomad girl, NWFP, 1940 (c)

Pashtun nomad girl, NWFP, 1940 (c). 

Original caption: ‘Woman in Pushtoon dress’.

Collection: Church Missionary Society Unofficial Papers: Family papers of Dr Lilian Starr ('Stella') Underhill, CMS medical missionary to Pakistan 

Source:  Cadbury Research Library

A Pashtun mother and child, 1950 (c)

 

A Pashtun mother and child, 1950 (c).

Collection: Church Missionary Society Unofficial Papers: Family papers of Dr Lilian Starr ('Stella') Underhill, CMS medical missionary to Pakistan.

Source: Cadbury Research Library

Afghan nomads loading their camels, NWFP, 1930s

 

Afghan nomads loading their camels, NWFP, 1930s. Source

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‘Ladies from Kabul’, photographed in Bannu, 1958 (c)

‘Ladies from Kabul’, [photographed in Bannu, Pakistan c 1958]

The photograph is held with others taken by Dr Stella Underhill when she was based at the Church Mission Society hospital at Bannu (in present-day Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan). The caption with the photograph records that the women were from the capital of Afghanistan.

Source: Cadbury Research Library

An Afridi baby in the khyber, 1917 (c)

 

An Afridi baby (female) in the Khyber, 1917 (c).

This photo was used as an illustration in the book "Frontier folk of the Afghan border" by Lilian Agnes Starr (published in 1920).

Source: Cadbury Research Library

Afridi women, 1920s

Photo of two old Afridi women, 1920. One who is quite blind from cataract, is being led to the Shifakhana by her friend. Source: "Frontier folk of the Afghan border--and beyond" by Lilian Agnes Starr.

Afridi women harvesting, 1897. From ''The Graphic'', 28th August, 1897.

Pashtun female patients, Duchess of Connaught Hospital, Peshawar, August 1914 Source 1, Source 2. 

 

Pashtun women, captioned as "trans-border sugar-cane vendors", 1920 (c).Photo by R.B.Holmes. Courtesy Farrukh Husain. Here, the border likely refers to the one between 'tribal areas' and 'settled areas.' The women's dress matches that of Afridi women in some other photos from the same period.

A Mohmand woman and her child, 1919

Mohmand woman and her child in the family wards of Peshawar hospital, 1919. Source: "Frontier folk of the Afghan border--and beyond" by Lilian Agnes Starr .

Lilian Starr writes: "A blind old Afghan begged that enough sight might be restored to him to enable him to use his rifle. The reason he gave was, that he had not yet avenged the death of his son, who had been killed some ten years before. With no idea of the value of life, and reckless of their own, it is their 'honour' alone that matters. The Frontier mission hospitals are out to give a new idea of 'honour,' and a practical meaning to the message of the Master: 'Love your enemies.' Many a British bullet is removed from Afghan patients. This was especially the case after the Afghan War of 1919, when the Peshawar hospital made quite a collection of British bullets. The medical work is in itself a language without words, that is not misunderstood by the border people; it is helping in a practical way to keep the peace on the Frontier, and to undermine the blood-feud system. In 1916, while a British expedition was out against the Mohmands beyond Shabqadr, a woman of that tribe came for treatment to the hospital. When asked where she belonged, she fearlessly replied: 'I'm a Mohmand.' And to the question: 'Do you expect at a time like this to receive treatment and healing in a British hospital—aren’t we enemies?' she promptly answered: 'Oh, that does not matter here!' Which was true. The photograph shows a Mohmand woman and her child in the serai or family wards."

Pashtun female patients, Duchess of Connaught Hospital, Peshawar, 1914

Pashtun female patients, Duchess of Connaught Hospital, Peshawar, August 1914. Source 1, Source 2

The photo was most likely taken by a British woman, who would be a member of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society.

The women in the above photo were most likely Afridai. Following are the photos of female Afridi dress worn by Lillian Starr when she negotiated the release of Molly Ellis from Ajab Khan Afridi :

Pashtuns at the bazaaer, Peshawar, 1948

Pashtuns at the bazaaer, Peshawar, 1948. 

Photo by Henri Cartier-Bresson.

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Afghan Kochi mother and child, 1950s

A Kochai looks so delighted as she was to ride the train at Landi Kotal in 1937, Khyber Pass

 

A Kochai looks so delighted as she was to ride the train at Landi Kotal in 1937, Khyber Pass. 

From an album compiled by Albert Chalcroft of the King's Regiment. Source

Photos of a 'Pathan' woman, circa 1919

This photo was taken in a studio and features a model. It is very doubtful that the woman in the photo is an actual Pashtun. She appears to be either an Indian or a Hindkai from Peshawar. The photographer had a studio in the old section of Peshawar city, which was largely inhabited by Hindkowans, yet he labels everyone there as ‘Pathan’ in his other photographs.

Here is another photo of the so called Pathan woman with caption "Pathan woman spinning", taken by the same photographer in his studio.

Original caption: 'The burqa of the Pathan Frontier'.

Handcoloured photo by R.B.Holmes.

Source

Randolph Bezzant Holmes, the British photographer of the above photos, was born in Peshawar on January 14, 1888. His father, William Dacia Holmes, was also a photographer who established himself in Peshawar, residing in the British cantonment there. You can read a biography of R.B. Holmes by Farrukh Husain here.

Source

Source

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An old Pashtun darvesh, 1920 (c)

Portraits of Pashtuns, early 20th century

A portrait of Barakzai Durrani lady, 1840 (c)

 

Source

Kandahar lady of rank, 1840 (c)

The name of that lady of rank in the above painting was Begum Jan and she belonged to the Barakzai branch of Durrani Pashtuns. James Rattrey (the painter) writes: "In continuation of the description of the dress and peculiarities of the women of Afghaunistaun, I take advantage of the opportunity offered, to introduce the portrait of a Baurikzye lady, by name Begum Jan." 

Rattray does not tell us more about the subject of this portrait but adds that these ladies wore white shuttlecock Burqas when out of doors or taking horse exercise. 

"When out of doors, or taking horse exercise, these ladies don an immense white sheet, reaching from the top of the skull-cap to the feet; a long square veil, attached by a clasp of gold or jewels to the back of the head, conceals the face, across which is an opening of net-work, to admit light and air. This dress is called a “Boorkha.” It conceals the whole figure, all outline of which is so entirely lost, that a stranger, on first viewing a party of these shrouded beings flitting about him in the streets, might well be at a loss to guess to what class of creatures they belonged. In addition to the winding-sheet, they wear long loose white boots of calico, fastened by a silken garter (Dulakbund), above the knee, and turned back like a falling collar, in order to display the lining. The soles of these bag-like leggings are of shawl, and the garters, “in their glitt’ring tissues bear imblaz’d Holy memorials, acts of zeal and love Recorded eminent,” from the Koraun, with scrolls and birds; the loose boots and veils also are embroidered in white and coloured silks. They sit astride on horseback, generally behind their own husband, or one of their own sex―if alone, a man leads the horse."

Prince Inayatullah Khan (elder brother of the king of Afghanistan), his wife (sister of Queen Soraya) and their children. Kabul, October 13, 1927

Prince Inayatullah Khan (elder brother of the king of Afghanistan), his wife (sister of Queen Soraya) and their children. Kabul, October 13, 1927.

Nomad Ghilzais in the Kurram valley, 1895 (c)

Nomad Ghilzais in the Kurram valley, 1895 (c). Photo by Frederick Saint John Gore.

Princely state of Swat, December 1947

Swat state, December 1947. Caption: "Armed security guards look on as female peasants from the hills, carrying their kitchen utensils & other household belongings in baskets on their heads, as they drive their cattle into the Swat valley for the winter". Photo by Margaret Bourke-White 

State of Swat, December 1947. Caption: "State policeman on guard duty to keep cattle from grazing on the Wali's land illegally while standing at his post as an old fort which is now used as police station, looms in the background." Photo by Margaret Bourke-White.

Manglawar, State of Swat, December 1937. Caption: "View of peasant wading Swat river downstream from distant fort with four towers in the Swat valley." Photo by Margaret Bourke-White.

Pashtun nomads (Kochi or Pawanda)

Pashtun nomad children, Khyber Pass. Undated.

Nomad Pashtun girl, North West Frontier, 1930s.

Afghan nomad children, North West Frontier, c.1919. Photograph by R.B.Holmes

Nomad Ghilzais in the Kurram valley, 1895 (c). Photo by Frederick Saint John Gore.

Head of a nomadic Pashtun clan in Peshawar plains, 1910 (c). Original caption: "The aged head of a clan of a wandering tribe from across the borderland, moving to Peshawar plains during the approach of cold weather carrying all his belongings on his back".

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