Colombo Ceylon Sri Lanka Lady Rickshaw 1926 Photo 4 x 2.5

This 1926 photograph documents a rickshaw scene in Colombo, then part of British Ceylon, capturing everyday urban transport within a colonial port city shaped by trade, tourism, and administrative activity.

During the 1920s, Colombo functioned as a major Indian Ocean hub where local labor systems intersected with colonial social life and international travel. Hand-pulled rickshaws remained a common form of short-distance transport in city streets and public grounds, operating alongside early automobiles and reflecting layered modes of mobility within colonial urban environments.

The photograph shows a woman seated in a rickshaw with attendants positioned nearby, framed by open ground and trees rather than a dense street setting. Clothing styles, vehicle construction, and the informal arrangement of figures provide visual context for period dress and transport practices. The compact photo format and handwritten notation on the reverse reinforce its role as a personal, primary-source image rather than a commercial studio view.

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