European Lady Gazing Over Bombay From Malabar Hill, 1900 Photo
A rare 1900 photograph captures a European lady in a netted hat gazing over Bombay (now Mumbai) from the heights of Malabar Hill. The panoramic view unfolds across the vast Back Bay, Chowpatty Beach, and the city’s early skyline. Long before Marine Drive and its iconic promenade existed. The world-famous Marine Drive would only take shape in the 1920s and later become one of Mumbai’s most recognisable coastal boulevards.
In the foreground, early European-style multi-storeyed buildings with sloping tiled roofs stand prominently. On the left side of the image, a solitary industrial chimney, likely from a cotton mill, rises above the rooftops.
The Back Bay’s sweeping three-kilometre waterfront stretched from Colaba to Walkeshwar. In later decades, parts of this coastline underwent dramatic transformation with the construction of Marine Drive and the iconic Art Deco buildings. By the late 1930s, nearly one-third of Marine Drive showcased this distinctive architectural style. Now part of Mumbai’s UNESCO-recognized Art Deco residential buildings.
Historically, Malabar Hill was a densely forested area teeming with wildlife, tigers, leopards, jackals, and other animals that once roamed here. Over time, it evolved into one of Mumbai’s most prestigious residential neighborhoods. Fascinatingly, the hill’s name is believed to be linked to the Malabari pirates of the 17th and 18th centuries. These pirates are thought to have come from the Malabar region of present-day Kerala, giving the hill its enduring name. Click image to enlarge.
Did you know – before 1864, the British and wealthy Indians lived in the Fort. When the Fort walls were demolished, the elite moved to Malabar Hill.
Past posts – Lake & House On A Serene Moonlit Night, 1944 Painting.
