Images of Ceylon

September 4, 2006 11:09 AM

Images of Ceylon - Hundreds and hundreds of photos taken in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from the mid 1800's to around the turn of that century.

Warning: A handful out of the ones I've seen show topless women so maybe NSFW.
posted by selton (18 comments total)

This is fascinating. What a find!
posted by furtive at 11:33 AM on September 4, 2006

Ceylons are still pretty hot.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:52 AM on September 4, 2006

Leaving aside the topless women, there is also the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (from this page). Perhaps the elephants had their revenge.
posted by imperium at 12:10 PM on September 4, 2006

OK, some of the topless women are beautiful too.
posted by imperium at 12:13 PM on September 4, 2006

Go tigers!!!!


posted by damn dirty ape at 12:47 PM on September 4, 2006

OK, some of the topless women are beautiful too.

Some of them, not so much.
posted by pracowity at 2:25 PM on September 4, 2006

Wow. If you've ever climbed to the top of Sigiriya you'll appreciate this photo. It's a lot easier now to see the frescoes. Thanks for the link.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 3:23 PM on September 4, 2006

What a rich trove of sepia nips! Thank you, selton.
posted by Powerful Religious Baby at 3:37 PM on September 4, 2006

Go tigers!!!!
Yeah - keep up the enforced recruitment of child soldiers, the murdering of civilians and the suicide bombings. If damn dirty ape is NOT trying to be funny, he/she is a fucking moron.

Oh - and thanks for the post, selton - some really nice stuff here
posted by bunglin jones at 5:05 PM on September 4, 2006

Thanks selton, I have very fond memories of Sri Lanka. Despite the apparent contradiction given the strife of the last 25 years, I found the Singhalese people to be the most kind and gentle of any group I've ever encountered. I would love to go back.

There is fault on both sides of the conflict. All power to Norway and their commendable efforts over these last few years to broker a peace deal. There has been progress and a ceasefire held for a short while, alas...
posted by peacay at 5:21 PM on September 4, 2006

Oh...2 other things:

Great first post!

damn dirty ape, you have a most distinguished posting history. Your contributions are singularly insightful. We are honoured, HONOURED I say, to have you present. Keep up the good work and you'll find yourself awarded your own MetaTalk thread so everyone can bestow upon you the tributes you so richly deserve.
posted by peacay at 5:31 PM on September 4, 2006

Thanks all (well, almost all), I hoped a few people would find it interesting.

Coincidentally, there's a question about the political situation in SL in AskMe just now, if anyone wants to read about it.

I probably shouldn't have used the word "topless" in the post and just left it at "occasional photo NSFW" or something though.

Thanks peacay: 5yrs for my 1st post, so the 2nd is due in 2011!
posted by selton at 6:05 PM on September 4, 2006

I swear I saw this guy when I was in Tamil Nadu a few years ago.

Great find. Thanks.
posted by huzzahhuzzah at 9:05 PM on September 4, 2006

Very nice, thanks selton. [good job you didn't mention the completely naked ones]
posted by tellurian at 11:51 PM on September 4, 2006

Why it's photos of my ancestors! Mmm, gotta love imperialistic white men trying to invade an ancient(ish) culture.

I look nothing like my people, how bizzare.

Yes, because it's only the tigers here who are stirring up trouble. The government is as bad, if not worse as them and the peoples of Sri-Lanka (especially those who incited the '83 riots) are hardly blameless.
posted by liquorice at 12:41 AM on September 5, 2006

Yes, because it's only the tigers here who are stirring up trouble. The government is as bad, if not worse as them and the peoples of Sri-Lanka (especially those who incited the '83 riots) are hardly blameless.

That the Sri Lankan Government has behaved abominably (and I really do mean abominably. Tamils in Sri Lanka are amongst the most unfairly maligned, mistrusted and discriminated-against people you could find. The Sinhalese majority in SL - perhaps unwittingly, perhaps not - fomented the anger that's become LTTE terrorism) towards the Tamil minority doesn't change the fact that a "Go Tigers!" post is really fucking offensive. (Disclosure: Family members and family friends have been killed by both Tamil and Sinhalese militants - the Sinhalese weren't just army, mind you - in the conflict.)
Cheering on this organisation like they're a favourite sporting team is fucked-up in the extreme.
But, like I said, damn dirty ape could have been trying to be funny. I'll give him/her the benefit of the doubt.

Sorry for the derailing rant - I hope it hasn't distracted too much from the fact that this site is a really wonderful find.
posted by bunglin jones at 5:30 AM on September 5, 2006

I don't support the tigers, the picture posted above was utterly tasteless, I was just getting the impression from this thread that it was only the tamil tigers that were/are stirring trouble and felt the need to correct it. Obviously, I'm bias as my father's side of the family were turned out of their homes in the north so the army could use them as base camps - with no remuneration. My point was simply that the ongoing civil war is much more complicated to have only one side at fault.

Seduction at its finest.
posted by liquorice at 5:50 AM on September 5, 2006

Excellent first post, selton - good stuff, thanks.
posted by madamjujujive at 5:54 AM on September 5, 2006