Apr 5, 2009

Bombay (Mumbai) Green of 1862

Photograph of The Green in Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra, by an unknown photographer, from an album of 40 prints taken in the 1860s. Bombay Green was the spacious open sward near the Bombay Fort and with the Town Hall and other important buildings sited in its vicinity, it was the city's commercial and social centre in the early 19th century. The view looks across the Green, with the Cornwallis Monument in the centre and the tower of St Thomas' Cathedral in the right background. The busy port and industrial hub of Bombay is the capital of Maharashtra. During British rule, it was the administrative capital of the Bombay Presidency. Extending over a peninsula into the Arabian Sea on the west coast of India, Bombay prospered with maritime trade and became the chief commercial centre of the Arabian Sea.