As I discussed business advertisements on postcards last week, I thought it would be good to write about this one on Imre Schwaiger’s Art Museum in early 20th century Delhi. This postcard does not have a studio name on it so it is difficult to tell exactly who it was published by. I’d wager that it was a local studio in Delhi hired by the Schwaiger family itself. If you look closely, you might see a grainy impression of Imre Schwaiger and his wife standing next to a car.
Imre Schwaiger was a Hungarian businessman who moved to Delhi to take advantage of commercial opportunities. Schwaiger and Delhi’s story is a local and global one which features entrepreneurship, objects and migration, made possible by Empire.
As you can see, the Schwaiger museum was opposite the Maidens Hotel, patronised by European tourists. It was prime property too so it is clear Schwaiger did well for himself. He dealt in Indian art pieces and I recently found out that he was the procurement agent for Jacques Cartier, the jeweller and interceded for museums like the V&A in London.
Schwaiger’s network included Indian businesses too and he was responsible for assisting the owners of the India Arts Palace (Delhi based dealers) in their early days. He died in 1940 and the Art Museum folded soon after. Here is an article on Schwaiger on a Hungarian website (needs to be translated). https://orient-projekt.hu/eletrajzi-adatlapok/schwaiger-imre
See you next Friday.
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