1890 Ad of photo studio of Belgaum
by Govind S. Welling
This is an advertisement published in about 1890, when the Welling’s had just moved into Cantonment, the Church of England already existed hence Church Road, (Lytton Road now) not to be confused with Church street in Camp, which name is given much later!
The Welling’s originally came from Goa, the village Velling sic Veling, but never used the surname Welling. They preferred to the used the oft practiced South Indian, way of mentioning names without the surname – Hence the name Shriniwas Mahadeo and Son.
The story goes that Shriniwas had 6 daughters and when the wife was pregnant for the 7th time, fearing another daughter left home, and was traced after 14 years in North India, working with an Englishman, he learnt photography from him, photographing a temple in Varanasi, he met a neighbor from Belgaum, who told him of a son being born, called Mahadeo, who was a genius at drawing, so he returned to meet his at the Maruti Temple, in Shahapur, the son picked up the father’s profession and begot a son called Govind, at that time they moved to Cantonment and named the studio Shriniwas Mahadeo and Son – photographers
Photo Archived by Umesh Kakkeri