Vintage Photographic Gallery of Bengal
A verified repository of historical glass-plate negatives, albumen prints, and early stereoviews documenting Bengal's vanished streets, river ghats, and everyday life between 1850 and 1950.
c. 1912
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Chowringhee Road and the Maidan Vista, Calcutta
Stately albumen print capturing Chowringhee Road with electric tramcars, Victorian horse buggies, and colonial neoclassical palatial facades.
c. 1912
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Hazarduari Palace & The Armenian Silk Quarters, Murshidabad
The stately vista of Chowringhee Road showing vintage electric tramcars, horse-drawn phaetons, and colonial neoclassical palatial facades bordering the vast expanse of the Maidan.
c. 1903
PUBLIC DOMAIN
General View of the Ras Mancha at Bishnupur, Bankura District
An archival photograph documenting the unique pyramidal structure of the Ras Mancha in Bishnupur, built by Malla King Bir Hambir in the late 16th century. The image captures the tiered terracotta arches and the distinctive curved Bengali chala roof architecture characteristic of the Malla dynasty.
c. 1890-1895
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Old Court House Street & St. Andrew’s Kirk, Calcutta
The commercial spine of colonial Calcutta with European trading firms, haberdashers, and horse-drawn transport.
c. 1880
PUBLIC DOMAIN
The Original Howrah Pontoon Bridge Across the Hooghly
Sir Bradford Leslie’s floating timber and iron pontoon bridge designed to uncouple in the center for passing river steamers and masted tall ships.
c. 1870-1875
PUBLIC DOMAIN
View of the Danish Church and Waterfront at Serampore, c. 1870
A striking view capturing the colonial architecture along the Hooghly River waterfront in Serampore, formerly the Danish settlement of Frederiknagore. The image highlights the neoclassical facade of the St. Olave's Church and surrounding merchant godowns that once served the Danish East India Company's textile trade network.