Kohinoor Mills In British Era Bombay, 1918 Photo
Old 1918 photo of the once iconic Kohinoor Mills in British-era Bombay (Mumbai). Shows company officials and guests on the dais with a crowd of workers looking on. Interestingly the British Flag is visible in the background of the dais. This could be most likely the inauguration day. The company was located at Dadar, Mumbai.
Read about Kohinoor Mills Company Limited.
The cotton trade was one of the catalysts that made the city the financial hub of India. England was the biggest buyer of American cotton in the 19th century, because of the American Civil War and crop failure exports to the country slumped. Creating panic among the textile traders and manufacturers in the UK.
Looking around desperately the British settled on Indian farmers. Vast agricultural fields in the deep interiors were used for the cultivation of cotton crops. This proved a success, prompting many merchants in Mumbai to jump in for exporting cotton, and textiles, including yarn. Mills sprung up in Bombay year after year from the middle of the 19th century one of them was Kohinoor Mills. Many of them have now shut down because of problems running it.
See also my post- Central Province Railway or Shakuntala Railway – Old Photo
Did you know- Cowasji Nanabhai Davar set up the first mill in 1854, named the Bombay Spinning Mill.
From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma Commemorative Stamp Folder., The Madras Iron Pier – Old Print 1863., Map Of Travancore Backwaters & Coast c1866., Standard “S” Vintage Car In Madras – Old Print 1914
