Lost Footsteps
Lost Footsteps

British Burma (1826-1942)

For over a hundred years, Britain ruled parts of what is today Myanmar, shaping every aspect of the country’s politics, economy and society. 

Far from being a static period of stability, British Burma was marked by change and upheaval. As it had done in India, the colonial power uprooted the ruling dynasty: the last Mughal emperor of India was secretly buried in Rangoon, while the descendants of Burma’s last king ended up living in penury in a slum in Kolkata, India.

It was a time of searching for new identities and political systems, with various forms of resistance to British rule from the armed uprisings during the early “pacification” of Upper Burma to the heated politics and protests of the decades prior to World War Two. The political landscape was peopled by British-educated Burmese politicians and home-grown activists inspired by Ireland’s Easter Rising of 1916. The first-ever election was held in 1922 and, a decade later, it was decided at the Burma Roundtable Conference in London that Burma would separate from British India – perhaps the single most important decision in Myanmar’s 20th-century history.  

Through the empire and technological advancements in transport, Burma became connected with the rest of the world like never before: thousands of Chins, Kachins, Burmans and Karens served in World War One and Rangoon was a key stop on the world’s first long-haul commercial flights. Until the Great Depression struck, business boomed with big profits from exporting rice, teak and oil – at one time the Burmah Oil Company was one of the biggest multinational companies in the world.

In 1927, The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda lived in Rangoon and later encapsulated these heady times in a poem describing the capital of British Burma as “a city of blood, dreams and gold

Football at the Rangoon Gymkhana c. 1900

Football at the Rangoon Gymkhana c. 1900

Read more
Mandalay circa 1900: 26th Street towards the clock tower

Mandalay circa 1900: 26th Street towards the clock tower

Read more
Silver Grill Jazz Club of Barr Street

Silver Grill Jazz Club of Barr Street

Read more
Before there was Naypyitaw: the market at Pyinmana c. 1900

Before there was Naypyitaw: the market at Pyinmana c. 1900

Read more
Shafraz Road Rangoon c. 1920

Shafraz Road Rangoon c. 1920

Read more
Dalhousie Road (now Mahabandoola Road) c. 1940.

Dalhousie Road (now Mahabandoola Road) c. 1940.

Read more
Strand Road (corner of Barr Street) c. 1900

Strand Road (corner of Barr Street) c. 1900

Read more
A Rangoon municipal tax receipt c. 1930s

A Rangoon municipal tax receipt c. 1930s

Read more
Portrait of a group of Burmese men on a porch c. 1868

Portrait of a group of Burmese men on a porch c. 1868

Read more
The Rangoon waterfront by J. Jackson c. 1868

The Rangoon waterfront by J. Jackson c. 1868

Read more
A Rangoon office c.1870

A Rangoon office c.1870

Read more
Moulmein 1872

Moulmein 1872

Read more
"Frau mit Zigarre"

"Frau mit Zigarre"

Read more
Drawing of downtown Mandalay in the late 1880s, near the old Zeygyo bazaar.

Drawing of downtown Mandalay in the late 1880s, near the old Zeygyo bazaar.

Read more
Rangoon tram c. 1935

Rangoon tram c. 1935

Read more
Mandalay "B Road" in 1886

Mandalay "B Road" in 1886

Read more
"A Burmese gentleman"

"A Burmese gentleman"

Read more
The 16th century Buddha at Wingaba c. 1890

The 16th century Buddha at Wingaba c. 1890

Read more
"A Burmese lady, her servant, and two citrus fruits"

"A Burmese lady, her servant, and two citrus fruits"

Read more
Traditional justice

Traditional justice

Read more
Rangoon from the river c. 1890

Rangoon from the river c. 1890

Read more
Sule Pagoda and the old Municipal Office c. 1890

Sule Pagoda and the old Municipal Office c. 1890

Read more
Burmese men in traditional pasos

Burmese men in traditional pasos

Read more
The wife and son of the Sawbwa of Wuntho in 1890 with family and retainers

The wife and son of the Sawbwa of Wuntho in 1890 with family and retainers

Read more
Portrait of a Burmese entertainer taken at the Johannes & Co. Studio on C Road in Mandalay c. 1895

Portrait of a Burmese entertainer taken at the Johannes & Co. Studio on C Road in Mandalay c. 1895

Read more
Before TV and the internet: kids (and others) watching a puppet show in Rangoon 1895.

Before TV and the internet: kids (and others) watching a puppet show in Rangoon 1895.

Read more
An early photograph of Mandalay

An early photograph of Mandalay

Read more
"A young prince and followers"

"A young prince and followers"

Read more
Moulmein c. 1895

Moulmein c. 1895

Read more
An early Burmese NGO - the Marks Memorial Fund

An early Burmese NGO - the Marks Memorial Fund

Read more