Bombay Traffic In The 1910s: Motorcars, Trams And The BMC Building
This vintage postcard probably dates to around the 1910s. Offering a fascinating glimpse of Bombay’s Municipal Corporation Building (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)) headquarters. British architect Frederick William Stevens designed it, and it was completed in 1893. Constructed opposite Victoria Terminus railway station, the BMC building became an impressive landmark at one of the city’s busiest crossroads. The postcard captures its architectural grandeur as Bombay rapidly expanded beyond its old fortification.
Equally interesting is the street traffic in front of the BMC building, which reveals how Bombay’s transport system was slowly evolving in the early twentieth century. A lone motor car is visible on the broad street, while an electric tram appears to be approaching in the distance, its outline faintly discernible. Horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians can be spotted on the street. The relatively open street contrasts sharply with the congestion of modern Mumbai. Yet this was already a lively thoroughfare connecting important civic, commercial, and railway districts.
Did you know – in the image of Bombay of the 1910s, a lone motorcar is a particularly striking sight. It occupies only a small part of the street, yet hints at the arrival of a new form of transport that would eventually transform the city’s roads.
