IMAGES
The Tata Central Archives (TCA), has a rich source of visual material dating as far back as the late 1800’s.
Relocated from various Tata Companies, Tata Trusts and the Tata Philanthropic Institutions, these images are in various formats – prints, negatives, transparencies, etc.
The images in TCA have been classified into the following sections:
- The Tata Family
- J.R.D Tata Collections
- Tata Companies
- Tata Philanthropic Institutions
- Personalities
These images have been extensively used in the print, publishing and audio and visual media.
TCA is pleased to disseminate images from its extensive image archives. For more information on how order the images please contact tca@tata.com
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A family portrait - (Standing L to R): Younger son Ratan, Jamsetji Tata and Navajbai (Ratan’s wife). (Seated L to R): Heerabai (Jamsetji’s wife), Meherbai (Dorab’s wife), and elder son Dorab. |
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Esplanade House - A view of the Indian Dining Room of Esplanande House which was the residence of Sir Dorabji Tata after his brother Sir Ratan Tata moved to a new residence in 1914. |
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J.R.D. Tata and Family - Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (centre) holding Jehangir while wife Sooni (seated) holds daughter Sylla. To Jehangir’s right is his grandmother Madame Briere. |
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Empress Mills - In 1874, Jamsetji floated the “Central India Spinning, Weaving and Manufacturing Company Limited”. On January 1, 1877 the day Queen Victoria was proclaimed the Empress of India, the Mills opened and “Empress” it was called. |
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Taj Mahal Hotel - Jamsetji Tata leased a large plot of reclaimed land at Apollo Bunder in Bombay and announced that he would build a hotel there -- the likes of which India had not seen. The construction began in 1898. The architecture was a combination of Rajput Renaissance, Sarcenic and Victorian Gothic styles. It combined oriental splendour in its exterior and modern European comforts inside. The foundations were 40 feet deep, unusual for those days. The large central dome was to be flanked by long high aisles so that the sea breeze could freely circulate and cool the place. Two smaller domes would flank either ends. The Taj has been so designed that some rooms could be perched a few feet away from the sea commanding a magnificent view -- with the illusion that the guest was still aboard a ship. The majority of rooms would face the garden and avail of the westerly breeze. The main entrance was not facing the magnificent harbour. A view of the main entrance of the Taj Mahal Hotel with its magnificent garden where horse-drawn carriages were driven from Wellington Mews. |
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TISCO - The Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited was conceived and planned in the last ten years of Jamsetji Tata’s life. Jamsetji believed that a modern iron and steel industry would be an essential component of the overall industrial development of India. It is this great vision which ultimately resulted in the establishment of the steel company and a model township which was named after Jamsetji Tata as Jamshedpur. A view of the works under construction. |
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Tata Power - The scheme visualised by Jamsetji was to build an artificial reservoir on the brink of the Western Ghats and speed the flow of water down the pipes to the generating plant at the foothills of the Ghats. A view of the Bhira generating station. |
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TELCO - The Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company Limited (now Tata Motors Limited) was incorporated on September 1, 1945. In 1954, the Company diversified out of the manufacture of steam locomotives into making diesel commercial vehicles with Daimler Benz AG. By 1969, the Company had acquired the research capabilities, the manufacturing Know-how and the commitment to quality which permitted it to independently continue its growth. The first batch of vehicles bearing the “T” rolling out of the Tata Engineering and Locomotive plant (now Tata Motors Limited) at Jamshedpur. |
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Indian Institute of Science - In 1898, Jamsetji Tata decided to establish an institution of research. He decided to set aside 14 of his buildings and four landed properties in Bombay for an endowment. In 1904, Jamsetji added a codicil to his Will reaffirming his offer be kept open for the British government to accept. He also suggested to his sons that if need be they could add to the Institution from the wealth he was leaving them. The Indian Institute of Science opened in 1911, after Jamsetji Tata’s death, and it was the first of its kind in Asia. |
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Tata Memorial Hospital - An exterior view of the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. The hospital was opened on February 28, 1941, by the Governor of Bombay, Sir Roger Lumley. It had operating theatres, lecture theatres and all the necessary facilities, including those for research. |
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J.R.D. Tata's 1932 Flight - J.R.D. Tata with Nevill Vintcent on his left at the Juhu airstrip, Bombay, October 15, 1932 after the first historic flight of the subcontinent landed from Karachi. The plane was piloted by J.R.D. Tata. |
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Re-enactment of the First Airmail Flight - Re-enactment of the First Airmail Flight by J.R.D. Tata on the occasion of the golden jubilee of Indian civil aviation - October 15, 1982. J.R.D. Tata is seen piloting the plane. |
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J.R.D. Tata with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr. Radhakrishnan in 1962. |
