European Family Life In Bangalore Cantonment, 1890 Photo

An 1890 photo giving a glimpse of European family life in Bangalore Cantonment. A military officer can be seen seated at his home flanked by his wife and an Indian servant at Bangalore Cantonment. A horse carriage waits on the driveway. Evidently, by the look of the vast home and compound the officer seems to be of some ranking.

A small number of officers had the discretion to bring their families from England. They were allowed residential accommodation and other necessary perks during their stay in the cantonments like the one seen in the photo. It is to be remembered that East India Company was the de facto ruler of the country till 1858. But after the Indian Rebellion, all this changed because the British Crown took over the control of India from the East India Company.

Once the Suez Canal opened in1869, the route to India and the Far East was far shorter saving time and money. This encouraged European women to travel to India in search of British husbands who were in shortage back in England. It became an annual event for British ladies to arrive in India in search of husbands. The most preferred of the potential men were to be from the military, the civil service, clerks, etc. Click on the photo for better view.