This photograph of the Karnatika Brahmins was taken by William Johnson. This image originally formed a part of a series called ‘Photographs of Western India’ (1855-1862) by William Johnson. It reappeared in his later publication ‘The Oriental Races and Tribes, Residents and Visitors of Bombay’ (1863 and 1866). The series gives a glimpse into the… Read more »
This photograph of the Fisherwomen of Bombay is by William Johnson. The Kolis (fishing community) are oldest known inhabitants of the seven islands that make up this city, they have lived here for centuries—some say since 600 BCE. This community may not be as visible on the city’s bustling streets as they once were, but… Read more »
Following the Uprising of 1857, the British started to use photography to gather data on races, castes and communities to better understand the ethnic diversity of the subcontinent. This photograph is from ‘The Photographs of Western India’ (Vol.1), 1855-1852, one of the earliest photographic compendiums to be produced on ethnographic portraiture, taken by William Johnson… Read more »
Discover the city of Mumbai from these unique and unexpected perspectives brought to you by 20 Instagram handles. From window art to the fishermen’s lives, these photographers will make you appreciate this bustling city in a whole new way.
The Watson’s Hotel, earlier the Esplanade Hotel, is the oldest surviving cast-iron structure in India. It was named after its first owner, John Watson, an English businessman in Bombay. The original cast iron objects were designed by the engineer Rowland Mason Ordish, who constructed the various parts in Britain and shipped to India. The construction… Read more »
This is a 2-part panoramic view of Bombay (Mumbai) from the late 19th – early 20th century by and unidentified photographer. Read about the birth of commercial photography in 19th-century Bombay here.
A sometimes quaint, sometimes bizarre view of 18th-century Bombay and its flora and fauna through our rare books collection
This city is older than most of us would imagine and evidence of its ancient heritage is scattered through its bustling suburbs
Once a centre of power that empires fought to control, today this fort-city is a forest of echoes and shadows
In the late 19th century, the port town of Bombay began to gain economic and cultural cred, thanks to British imperialism fighting to assert its power. This is the story of a city finding its voice
Compelling portraits from our archive of a budding metropolis, its evolving skyline and fascinating people
This Johnson and Henderson image shows the outer facade of one of the caves on the island of Elephant in Bombay. Originally called Gharapuri and identified as the capital of the Mauryas in the Konkan, the island is spread across two hillocks separated by a narrow valley and dotted with numerous archaeological remains going as… Read more »
The subjects of this photograph belong to the historic community of Jews in India known as ‘Bene Israel’. Dressed in traditional attire, they are teachers of the Free Church of Scotland’s Mission School and the Jewish English School in Bombay, British India. This photograph was originally published between 1855-1862 in Photographs of Western India, Volume I,… Read more »
Robert M. Grindlay served the British East India Company from 1804-1820, in India. A self-taught amateur artist, he made many sketches and illustrations recording the landscape and life of early 19th century India. These illustrations were later published and copied in engravings. This book is such a collection of coloured engravings. The topics in the… Read more »