Aerial View of Bombay’s Prince of Wales Museum, Trams, 1927 Postcard
This beautiful 1927 vintage postcard offers a remarkable aerial view of the Prince of Wales Museum and its surroundings- the Fort area of Bombay (Mumbai). The magnificent Prince of Wales Museum, today known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), its foundation stone was laid by the Prince of Wales (later King George V) in November 1905, although the building opened to the public only in 1922. The original aerial photograph used for this postcard was taken by A. R. Haseler, a photographer known for his aerial views of Bombay during the British Raj.
Surrounding the museum is one of Bombay’s most well-known architectural districts, with landmarks such as Elphinstone College, the Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home, the David Sassoon Library, and Kala Ghoda. The Fort area, with its elegant tiled-roof buildings and wide streets, creates the impression of a remarkably European-style city. The picture also captures the landscaped grounds around the museum, with several electric trams passing along the street beside it.
The trams add an interesting and charming glimpse into Bombay’s bygone era. Horse-drawn tramways had operated since 1874, but the city entered the electric age when electric tram service began on 7 May 1907, operated by the newly established Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways Company (BEST). The charming trams had become an integral part of everyday life in the city until it was unfortunately discontinued in the early 1960s. Click image to enlarge.
Did you know – the museum spent part of its early life as a hospital. Although the building was completed in 1914, it was used by the military during World War I before eventually becoming a museum.
