Grant's Buildings, Bombay - 1855

A photograph of Grant's Buildings, Bombay from the 'Vibart Collection of Views in South India' taken by an unknown photographer about 1855. Before the mid 19th Century, India exported cotton to Britain, and then reimported cloth. The impetus towards the founding of a cotton industry came from Indian entrepreneurs; the first mill, ‘The Bombay Spinning Mill’, was opened in 1854 by Cowasji Nanabhai Davar. Opposition from the Lancashire mill owners was eventually offset by the support of the British manufacturers of textile machinery. Cotton exports from India took off during the American Civil War, when supplies from the USA were interrupted.

Source : British Library