Edinburgh Street Photographers

Street Photographers

'Walking Pictures'

Seaside

I remember, in the 1950s, in the days before many families had their own cameras, seeing 'street photogaphers' walking along the promenade at the seaside resorts in Yorkshire and Lancashire, photographing holidaymakers.

A few hours later, their snaps would be on display, for sale, at a kiosk on the promenade.

Edinburgh

Thank you to Colin McLeod for letting me see that similar photographers were at work in Edinburgh in the 1930s. Below are some examples from Colin's family album.

Photos

Walking Pictures in Edinburgh

1930s

Colin McLeod wrote:

Family Album

"I've had another look though my family albums and found these two sets of 'Walking Pictures'. The first two include the registry code on the same side as the image as the photo, rather than stamped on the back."

North Bridge

West Side

"The earliest is a pair of photos is taken on the west side of North Bridge, looking north towards Register House and the Post Office.

These photos show my grandfather, Robert Woolley, with my mother Pat. The family moved to Edinburgh from Hong Kong in, I think, 1932. Judging by the age of my mother (she was born in August 1928.) I'd guess the photos were taken no later than 1933.

Around 1933

These photos are printed on two joined half-size postcard backings, from which a third photo at the top has been roughly cut, so these were presumably produced in sets of three or more.

The photographer's name is printed on the reverse as:

'Spotlight Photos Ltd.' "

North Bridge

East Side

"The second is a set of three photos is printed on a single standard-sized postcard backing. It was taken on the east side of North Bridge, also looking north, and shows my mother, a little older, pushing her doll's pram. It may have been taken in 1934/35.

Around 1934-5

The photographer's name is printed on the reverse as:

'Spotlight Photos (G.B.) Ltd.' "

Meadows

"I also found the two photos showing my mother with the same doll on the Meadows at Edinburgh. The family lived nearby,

Around 1938-9

I'd guess these were taken around 1938-39; the family moved to Dundee later in 1939. Both these photos are on standard postcard backings with the name of the Edinburgh photographer: 'Jerome Ltd.''

What I find curious is that both these photos have a registration code stamped in ink on the back. It seems unlikely that the studio would have done this if they were printing negatives belonging to customers, and there are enough photos of similar subjects in the albums to lead me to think that perhaps Jerome employed roving photographers to go round photographing children in parks, in much the same way as 'walking pictures' were taken on the streets.

Perhaps someone could confirm if this surmise is correct. One can't imagine such a practice being allowed today!

Colin McLeod, Battleby, Perth, Perthshire, Scotland: February 17, 2011

Photo

Alan Grieve

Minehead, Somerset, England

Thank you to Alan Grieve sending me this 'walking picture' of his grandmother and uncle, taken in North Bridge, Edinburgh.

Alan wrote:

North Bridge

"Here is a 'walking picture' of my grandmother' Mary Finlay' and my uncle, Harry Finlay. The photo was taken in North Bridge in September 1934.

They lived in St Andrews then, and may have been on a visit to my parents, who lived at Murrayfield, when this photo was taken."

Alan Grieve, Minehead, Somerset, England: February 9, 2012

Alan added:

The Photographer

East Side

"I've now found the original photo of my grandmother and uncle on North Bridge. It is marked 'Spotlight Photos (G B) Ltd' on the back.

Alan Grieve, Minehead, Somerset, England: February 14, 2012

Photos

Jerome Ltd

Most Jerome photos are studio portraits. These have 'postcard' printed on the back. Incidentally, I've never come across any that have been sent through the post !

Studio Portrait

© ©

I've also seen a few Jerome photos taken outdoors, including this one taken on North Bridge in 1926.

North Bridge

The quality of Jerome's outdoor photos seems sometimes to be not very high. However, many of the photos have a 'period appeal' and will probably have been valued by their families in an era when not many families had thier own cameras.

Photo

Alan Grieve

Minehead, Somerset, England

Spotlight Photos

Thank you to Alan Grieve for writing again to let me know about web sites that gave more information about Spotlight Photos, including:

- a Notice in the London Gazette of a Creditors' Meeting in 1937 and

- an account of the that meeting at which it was decided to wind up the company. A liquidator was appointed on April 21, 1937.

Acknowledgement: Alan Grieve, Minehead, Somerset, England: March 5, 2012

Photo

Giselle McAndrew (née Houston)

England

Walking Pictures

Thank you to Giselle McAndrew (née Houston) for sending me the photo below which has, written on the back 'Walking Pictures' and a number on the front that looks like x42x.

Giselle tells me that this photo is of her late father Ian Houston in his uniform, walking to or from the hotel off the Royal Mile where he worked as a bell boy. The photo was taken around 1930-32, when he would have been aged about 14.

Bell boy - Ian Houston

Acknowledgement: Giselle McAndrew (née Houston), England:
Message posted in EdinPhoto Guestbook: 4 July 2012 + email 6 July 2012

Photo

Julie Ann Baxter

Walking Picture

Thank you to Julie Ann Baxter for allowing me to reproduce this photo.

Princes Street

Julie wrote:

"I'm wondering if you'd like to use this picture. I'd be delighted if you could give me any information. I've always wondered about the vehicle in the background."

Acknowledgement: Julie Ann Baxter: October 20, 2012

Photo

7.
Reply 1

Peter Stubbs

Edinburgh

1930s

"This photo looks to me likely to have been taken by a street photographer in the 1930s. The ladies are walking to the west along Princes Street and are in front of the windows of Jenners store.

The base of the Scott Monument can be seen behind them on the right-hand side of the photo.

The vehicle in the background looks to me like the back of a 1930s post office van, or possibly other delivery van."

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October 20, 2012

Photo

7.
Reply 2

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England wrote

1920s

North Bridge

"I have a similar photo of my Mother and Grandmother walking up North Bridge, but it was taken in the 1920s.*
Perhaps that fashion lasted that long."

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England: October 21, 2012

More Photos taken on North Bridge

* More 'walking pictures' taken by a street photographer in North Bridge can be found higher up on this page in paragraph 'Photos 2 above'.

They were taken by a street photogrpaher in the 1930s.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: October 21, 2012

Photo

7.
Reply 3

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

I apologise to Allan Dodds for initially adding a comment in his name here, saying that this photo of the ladies in Princes Street would have been taken around 1940. (It I had taken a moment to look at the photo before adding the comment, I would have realised that something was not right.)

Princes Street

In fact, that comment did come from Allan, but it referred to a completely different photo - this one taken in Stirling:

Stirling

Thank you to Allan for sending the message below, relating to the Princes Street photo:

Princes Street

Allan wrote:

1925-30

Princes Street

"The attribution of the 1940s to the '1930s' photograph is not mine. This form of dress had died out long before I was born in the 1940s. No-one looked remotely like that in the 1940s!

I still believe that the picture was probably taken about 1925-30 as the dress style of individuals in my own family album similarly belongs to that era.

By the 1940s dress had shed the Victorian look that still persisted in the picture you first displayed. The 'helmet' hat I'm sure was fashionable in the 'Flapper' era of the 1920s but it may have persisted for a decade after that.

I'm sure that there are fashion experts out there who could put us all right!"

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England: October 23, 2012