Rare Vintage Kashmir Photos: 1930s-1980s Work & Daily Life

A collection of old photographs showing work and daily life in Kashmir from the 1930s to the 1980s. The pictures include labourers posing in the 1930s, workers in an early 1900s Srinagar silk factory, rural peasant women, school children outside a shop in 1984, Burn Hall School students in the 1940s, families at home entrances, construction of the Karan Nagar power station in 1962, houseboats on the Jhelum River in the 1970s-80s, people along the river banks, and homes of carpet weavers in Srinagar. Simple views of old Kashmir.

A group of schoolchildren gathered outside a small neighborhood shop in Srinagar during June 1984, dressed in red and white school uniforms typical of the period. The scene reflects everyday urban life in residential areas, where shops functioned not only as places of trade but also as social points within the neighborhood. Children pause along their route, while shopkeepers and local residents stand nearby, illustrating the close interaction between daily routines, commerce, and community life. The modest wooden storefront, hanging goods, and presence of livestock further highlight the mixed residential and commercial character of Srinagar’s streets during the 1980s, before large-scale urban change altered the city’s social and physical landscape.

This photograph shows workers standing inside the Karan Nagar Electric Power Station complex during its construction in Srinagar in 1962. Visible in the background are electrical transformers, metal frameworks, transmission poles, and fenced enclosures, reflecting the technical layout of an early organized power facility. The site represents a period when Srinagar’s electricity infrastructure was being expanded through manually intensive construction methods, with local labor playing a central role. As an archival record, the image documents both the physical development of a key public utility and the people involved in building the foundations of the city’s modern power supply.

This photograph shows a group of Kashmiri labourers posing outdoors in the 1930s, offering a close view of working men from the region during the early twentieth century. Their clothing, head coverings, and expressions reflect the everyday appearance of manual laborers at a time when physical work formed the backbone of local livelihoods. The informal pose and natural setting suggest a moment briefly set aside from labor, captured without staging or ceremony. As an archival record, the image provides insight into the social and economic conditions of the period and preserves the presence of ordinary individuals whose work sustained rural and urban life in Kashmir.

A quiet domestic scene from 1930s Kashmir, showing women seated with young children at the entrance of a traditional home. The women’s everyday clothing and head coverings reflect common household attire of the period, while the presence of infants highlights the central role of family life within modest living spaces. Wooden planks, rough plastered walls, and the simple doorway point to vernacular construction typical of rural and semi-urban homes. As an archival record, the image preserves an intimate moment from ordinary life, offering insight into household environments and social continuity in early twentieth-century Kashmir.

An early twentieth-century view inside a silk factory in Srinagar, showing workers engaged in the handling and preparation of silk skeins. Long strands of processed silk hang in rows behind them, while bundles of twisted silk rest on the ground, illustrating different stages of production. The seated posture of the workers and the orderly arrangement of materials reflect the labor-intensive and methodical nature of silk manufacturing during this period. As an archival record, the image documents an important local industry that provided employment and linked Kashmir to wider trade networks, preserving a glimpse of skilled manual work central to the region’s economic life in the early 1900s.

An early twentieth-century rural scene from Kashmir, showing peasant women seated outdoors amid natural surroundings. Their clothing and head coverings reflect everyday attire suited to agricultural and village life, while the informal posture suggests a pause from routine labor rather than a staged setting. The uneven ground, scattered vegetation, and simple environment point to subsistence living closely tied to the land. As an archival record, the image offers insight into rural social life and preserves the presence of ordinary people whose daily work sustained agrarian communities in Kashmir during this period.

A scene of everyday life along the Jhelum River in 1970s Kashmir, showing families gathered at the riverbank using a wooden boat and stone steps that connect water and settlement. Women handle vegetables and household items, children stand nearby, and a swimmer moves through the river, reflecting the Jhelum’s role as a shared space for domestic activity, transport, and leisure. The stepped embankment, stone retaining walls, and simple boats illustrate how riverbanks functioned as extensions of daily living rather than separate public infrastructure. As an archival record, the image captures the social rhythm of river-centered life, documenting how the Jhelum shaped routine interactions and community practices in Kashmir during this period.

A formal group portrait of students and staff of Burn Hall School in Srinagar during the 1940s, arranged in rows outside the school building. The boys are dressed in uniform attire with ties, reflecting the structured educational environment and discipline of missionary and private schools in Kashmir during this period. Teachers and staff are positioned centrally, emphasizing their role within the institution. The brick architecture and verandah visible in the background point to the school’s established campus and colonial-era educational setting. As an archival record, the image documents early modern education in Srinagar and preserves a collective moment from an institution that played a significant role in shaping generations of students in mid-twentieth-century Kashmir.

A view of traditional houseboats moored along the Jhelum River in Srinagar during the 1970s and 1980s, with large bundles of hay stacked on rooftops and along the riverbank. The boats are positioned close to stone embankments and wooden structures, reflecting their role as working living spaces rather than tourist accommodations. A small boat moves across the river in the foreground, indicating daily movement and transport on the water. As an archival record, the image documents the continued use of houseboats for storage and domestic purposes, illustrating how the Jhelum remained integral to everyday life and river-based livelihoods in Srinagar during the late twentieth century.

A residential cluster associated with carpet weavers in Srinagar during the 1970s and 1980s, showing multi-level houses built with a mix of brick, timber, and corrugated materials. The extended upper floors and enclosed wooden balconies reflect domestic spaces adapted to handloom work carried out within homes. Children and adults gathered near the entrance emphasize the close connection between family life and craft-based livelihoods. The open ground, modest surroundings, and utilitarian construction point to working-class neighborhoods shaped by traditional industries. As an archival record, the image documents the living environments of artisan communities that sustained Kashmir’s carpet weaving tradition through household-based production.