Posted on: 23 September 2011

Street scene in the Fort area, Bombay - 1870

A photograph, from the 'Album of Indian Views', of a street scene in Bombay taken by Bourne and Shepherd in the 1870s. The fort area was named such after the colonial fortifications. The 19th century saw a boom in the cotton industry making Bombay a commercial centre. With the commercial boom and the efforts of the local government the fort area developed a rich legacy of Victorian Gothic architecture. This view is of a street composed of western Indian wooden architecture in a thriving bazaar.

Source : British Library


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its so peaceful!

How time flies!

Thanks. I have been adding to collection of postcard scans on the FIBIS wiki and currently working on those published by Clifton & Co (Bombay) . One entitled "Street Scene, Bombay" is very similar to this and your explanation is most interesting. You can see the card here...http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=File:Street_Scene,_Bombay.JPG

Thank you Beverly. The narrartive is by the BL. : )

This looks like the Bazaar Gate Street of today. The first shop on the left possibly is where the Pancham Dughdalay stands today. The sweatmeat shop has been there for over 70 years. Perhaps earlier. As a child, my father used to treat me with a navtak of milk and a plate of galebis there in the early nineteen sixties.

this is a piece of history of mumbai streets

Nice pic of a gone by era!