20 rare images about the history of print in Bombay
Printing came to Bombay in 1674 at the initiative of an Indian businessman. A hundred years later, the city had its commercial printing presses. The proliferation of print, however, started in the 19th century, with indigenously developed typefaces for Indian languages, from the 1790s, giving it a major fillip. The advent of lithography in the 1820s also helped. By the middle of the century, there were nearly 50 printing presses in Bombay, many of them owned by Indians.
In the pages of
12 May 2017 | By PrintWeek India
The 1790s heralded a new age of information in Bombay with the start of three English newspapers
An early Bombay newspaper: Bombay Courier 1793
The first ever Gujarati print specimen: Bombay Courier 12 November 1796
The first Indian book with illustrations: Dabestan in Gujarati, 1815
The first Indian book with illustrations: Dabestan in Gujarati, 1815
Devanagari type design revolutionized by Thomas Graham: Specimen from The Ayah and the Lady, 1838
Elegant Modi type designed by Thomas Graham: Specimen from Parsee Prakash, 1878
Beginnings of lithography in Mumbai at the Aukhbar Press: Gujarati titles. Kitab Korehe Vehejik, 1828
Beginnings of lithography in Mumbai at the Aukhbar Press: Gujarati titles. Shavehedul Nafisey fi isabattul kabisey, 1828
Lithographed Marathi magazine from Bombay: Shree Dnyanachandrodaya, 1840
Lithographed illustrations: Shrushtijanya Ishwardnyan, 1842
Lithographed illustrations: Shrushtijanya Ishwardnyan, 1842
Early lithographed textbook from Bombay: A Course in Mathematics, 1828. English and Gujarati title pages
Early lithographed textbook from Bombay: A Course in Mathematics, 1828. English and Gujarati title pages
Persian lithographic printing from Bombay: Majma-ul ashar, 1845
Persian lithographic printing from Bombay: Majma-ul ashar, 1845
Printing at Indian royal courts – using Devanagari type at Tanjore: Balabodha Muktavali, 1806
Printing at Indian royal courts - Early Marathi book printed in Miraj using copperplates: Bhagvad Geeta, 1806
Early Islamic book from Bombay: Maulud-e Tahiriya, Hijri 1256 (1840/41)
Frontispiece of an early play script: Sudarshan Charitra, 1881
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