Scotsmen and women have long been at the forefront of invention and Scotland was one of the countries that pioneered the advancement of photography. Commercial photography emerged following the official launch of the daguerreotype process in France in 1839 and the first recorded British daguerreotype rooms opened in London in March 1841, although James Howie later claimed that his Edinburgh studio was operational in 1840. Either way, the new fashion for mechanical portraiture was established from the outset in both Edinburgh and Glasgow; from then on Scottish photography progressed along similar lines to that throughout the developed world.

Demand for expensive daguerreotypes was limited, but the wet collodion process, introduced in 1851, was cheaper and reduced the exposure time, extending photographic portraiture to more people and attracting entrepreneurs into this potentially lucrative profession. Many new Scottish studios appeared during the late-1850s and 1860s, mainly in cities and larger towns, while itinerant photographers toured rural areas. Some enterprising local tradesmen added photography to the services they provided, running businesses that combined hairdresser, coal merchant, painter and decorator or bicycle hire firm with photographic studio. Over time, studios came and went: some successful photographers operated multiple branches, while others were short-lived.

Portrait photography reached a mass population during the 1860s with the affordable card-mounted carte de visite print. From then onward, any of our ancestors with a shilling to spare might visit their local photographer to record a special occasion such as birthday, engagement, marriage, christening, new job, wedding anniversary, mourning or retirement. Later, different photographic formats such as the larger cabinet print and the postcard portrait became fashionable, broadening consumer choice. Between the mid-19th century and World War One, when commercial photography began to decline, millions of photographs were taken within Scotland and by professional Scottish photographers worldwide. Scarcely any Victorian or Edwardian studios have survived, although one exception is R. Clapperton’s studio in Selkirk, now a tourist attraction.

However, legions of Scottish photographs have been preserved in universities, museums, local libraries and archives and of course in our own family picture collections.

Something for the tourists

Cabinet print, c1891-97
This undated photograph represents an ancestor from Surrey wearing elements of Scottish dress, including a picturesque jacket, Glengarry cap and tartan plaid. It is presumed that he visited Scotland on holiday and posed for a souvenir photograph wearing Highland Dress. Many Scottish studio photographers kept Highland-style costumes precisely for that purpose, although the ‘timeless’, contrived attire cannot aid dating of this image. However, the distinctive head and shoulders vignette composition of the subject is most typical of the 1890s &ndash a time frame that can be confirmed and narrowed further, using other photo dating methods.

This is a cabinet print measuring roughly 16.5 x 11.5cms, the favoured studio format of the 1890s and early-1900s, while the black card was one of the dark colours (black, bottle green, chocolate brown and maroon) fashionable for photographic mounts c.1884-1905. The famous Lafayette photography establishment originated in Dublin and subsequently opened a Glasgow branch in 1891. Much information is available online and Lafayette is covered on the useful website Glasgow’s Victorian Photographers. However, Torrance’s book adds that Lafayette appended their title with ‘Ltd.’ in 1898, making 1897 our latest likely year.

Turn of the century twins

Cabinet print c1898-1900
A close date estimate is possible for this undated photograph, from the mount clues and from the visual image. Twins were always a popular, picturesque photographic subject and probably these little girls were taken to the photographer to record their third birthdays. They are dressed almost identically in smocks with fashionable sailor collars, their outfits completed with black stockings and leather boots. The loose smock dress gathered onto a yoke and falling freely was introduced for young girls in the early-mid 1890s; their boots display the typical Victorian button fastening.

The grey colour of this cabinet card mount was very fashionable in the mid-late 1890s and early 1900s, while the rather ‘blocky’ shaded font style used for the printed details is another turn-of-century feature. Andrew and George (A & G) Taylor were well-known late-Victorian and Edwardian photographers who ran multiple branches throughout Britain. Much information is available online, for example on the EdinPhoto website. Torrance’s book confirms that their 63 Princes Street, Edinburgh branch ran 1878-1910, while 127 Sauchiehall Street Glasgow was operative only 1898-1908. Since their Royal Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen is mentioned on the mount, the year of the photograph must be 1898-1900.