Viceroy's Cup at Calcutta

Film of the 1929 Viceroy’s Cup horse race held in Calcutta (Kolkata).

This revealing film showcases all the pomp and pageantry of the annual horserace at the Hastings Race Course in Calcutta (Kolkata). It offers a useful insight into a colonial high society event: dress is formal, and Indian attendees are very much a minority (while the men mostly wear western suits).

The Viceroy's Cup was usually held in late December or early January and exclusively attended - invitation only - by the local elite. The race on 26 December 1929 was won by Star of Italy.