This postcard picture of Bow Bazar (leading from Dalhousie Square in the heart of the city and continuing into Lal Bazar) is borrowed from the CalcuttaWeb photo gallery. The date and photographer are unknown. What appears to be an electric tram in the centre of the photograph would date it at 1902 at the very earliest.

Several generations of the Deefholts family lived at various addresses in Bow Bazar and Bow Bazar Lane in the 19th century, starting with Richard, Robert and Frederick (G2), who all lived there in 1852 (the street number is not recorded); Richard and his son Henry Augustus (G3) and nephew Frederick (G3) at 10 Bow Bazar Lane in 1856; the latter two still there in 1857 (possibly Richard had died); Henry Augustus departed in 1859 and Frederick was joined by his cousin Henry Edmund. In 1875 Felix Emanuel (G3) moved into no. 200, sandwiched between a timber yard at 199 and "Huts and Natives" from 201-206. Henry Edmund moved back into 218 Bow Bazar Lane from 1876-9, joined by TCE (G4) from 1878 and Felix Emanuel and "L.A. Deefholts" next door at 216 from 1878. Henry Edmund and TCE both moved to no. 88 in 1880. Lewis (G4) moved in to no. 91 in 1898 with his wife Margaret; their son David Samuel (G5) was born there the same year. So between them four generations spent half a century at various sites in the street!

The name of the street was apparently not to everyone’s liking, as evidenced by the following letter to Calcutta’s daily English-language paper, The Statesman (posted on www.thestatesman.net):

APRIL 5, 1902
(Letters to the Editor)
CALCUTTA STREET NAMES
SIR, — In this age of progress and change, when so many schemes for the improvement of old Calcutta have been, and are still being introduced on all sides, I think it would be in keeping with the times to also change some of the old-fashioned and objectionable names of such streets as Bow Bazaar and Lal Bazaar, which are certainly now neither appropriate nor agreeable. As these two streets are in continuation of each other, with the Holwell Monument recently erected at the head or commencement of them, Holwell Street would be a far more suitable name for both. This change seems all the more desirable when such large and important places of business as the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Chief Presidency Magistrate’s Court, the E.B.S. Railway, C.B. Railway, Insurance and various other offices, churches, and schools are situated there, and I am sure the residents in the street would hail the change with acclamation. REFORM. April 4

Half a century later, on 21Jun1957, Bow Bazar Street was renamed by the Calcutta Corporation as Bipin Behari Ganguly Street (BB Ganguly Street).

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