Post Card Views of Edinburgh

List of Photographers/Publishers

Post Card Views of

Edinburgh

Yellow background denotes an Edinburgh photographer or publisher.

Green background denotes photographer or publisher from elsewhere.

- CAS (or ACS?)

- [Watercolour view]

- cZco [logo]

- Edinburgh from Inverleith Park - logo on front of card

- Nelson's Monument - logo on front of card -- Posted 1911

- Evening on the Forth - logo on back of card- Posted 1922

- The Dean Village Edinburgh - logo on back of card- Posted 1921

- Duddingston Loch

- Edinburgh Castle, One o' Clock Gun

I asked if anybody could tell me anything about this company, and received these replies:

Reply 1

Thank you to Richard Torrance who wrote:

"cZco was the Zinco Collotype Company. They were located next to the library on McDonald Road, Edinburgh. I am currently trying to find out more about this printer."

Richard Torrance, Edinburgh: May 18, 2010

Reply 2

Thank you to Fiona Mackintosh, who wrote:

"I believe Zinco Collotype Company was my grandfather's company. He was George Thomson, and he was in business with his brother-in-law, Arthur Dunbar, and one other.

George's daughter (my mother) says that the business was forced to close in the Second World War, because it was considered a luxury and not sustainable during these times.

The family lived in Bellevue Road. To the best of my knowledge, the above is correct. I don't imagine that there were two collotype companies of the same name in that street, although my mother says that the premises were not next to the Library, as suggested, but near the junction with Hopetoun Street."

Fiona Mackintosh, Perth, Perthshire, Scotland: July 28, 2011

Thank you to Fiona for also telling me about this advert for the company.

- Caie, J & M Blackhall, Edinburgh

A series of sepia postcards:

- Blinkbonny Avenue

- House-O-Hill Avenue

- Jeffrey Avenue, Blackhall

- March Road, Blackhall

- Queen's Avenue, Blackhall

- Cairns, J Edinburgh

- Edinburgh Suburbs - entrance to Hermitage of Braid]

- Jaw Bone Walk, Edinburgh

- Caldwell Bros Ltd.

- Holyrood Palace

- The Scott Monument]

- Caledonian Railway Company

This card is one of a series produced by the Caledonian Railway Company. It is a view looking along Princes Street from the West End, probably from the Rutland hotel on the corner of Shandwick Place and Rutland Street. The title of this card is confusing. It reads:

- Caledonian Princes Street Station and Castle (on Caledonian Railway. Posted 1919

- Carlton Hotel Edinburgh

I have only seen this one card published on behalf of the Carlton Hotel

- Carlton Hotel [several sketches, interior and exterior, red] Posted 1913

- Capaldi's Bazaar 32 and 33 Promenade, Portobello

- Portobello

Posted 1932

- Castle Series Various

Thumbnail Images

Castle Series

There have been several series of cards named Castle Series, including some attractive cards

- by James Patrick. Please click here for thumbnail images

- by George Stewart.

- Central Publishing Co Glasgow

This card has the same sky as has been added to several of Alexr. G Anderson's cards!

- Edinburgh Castle from Johnston Terrace

- Cholastic Co Blackpool

- Edinburgh Castle

Posted 1927

- Clark, J A Edinburgh

This card has a fuller heading than normal above the 'correspondence' area on the back of the card. It reads: "This space may be used for correspondence to Britain and its Colonies, U.S.A. and most foreign countries."

- Guildford Arms, Edinburgh

Posted 1908

- Close Encounters by Alicia Conde, Edinburgh

Alicia Conde has produced small range of post cards (and a book) - comprising black & white photographs of the closes leading off the Royal Mile, Edinburgh. These are currently on sale in Edinburgh (2005)

I have also seen a coloured postcard by Alicia Conde on sale during the Edinburgh Festival, 2006.

- Colourmaster International Published by JB White & Co, Glenrothes, Fife

1. Coloured postcards, probably published around the 1970s

- Floral Clock, Edinburgh posted 1976

- Edinburgh Airport

2. A collection coloured postcards of familiar scenes of Edinburgh. The top edges of these are perforated, suggesting that these have been taken from a book of postcards. - possibly also 1970s

- Princes Street and the Scott Monument, Edinburgh PT35102

- John Knox House, Edinburgh PT35104

- The Military Tattoo at Castle, Edinburgh PT35122

- The Castle, Edinburgh PT35239

- Highland Pipers on Parade at Edinburgh Castle PT36254

- The Castle from the Gardens, Edinburgh PT36577 (No publisher's name)

- Edinburgh from the Castle PT36624

- The Mound, Edinburgh PT36635

- Holyrood Palace PT36499

- Princes Street and Calton Hill from the Scott Monument PT37004

- Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh PT37029

3. Card produced for Trustees of National Galleries of Scotland in 2004

- National Gallery of Modern Art

- Corstorphine Trust Corstorphine, Edinburgh

1920 series

A series of cards of scenes in and around Corstorphine, drawn for Corstorphine Trust (1972) by E Weierter. This series includes:

- Rose Cottage and Museum House

- Featherhall farm, house and dairy

- St John's Road, Corstorphine

- Crae, J&M Blackhall, Edinburgh

- Edinburgh Suburbs - Blackhall (several different views)

Posted 1958-72

- Craig, D Dow 21 Strathearn Road, Edinburgh

I have seen just three postcards by D Dow Craig. All are colour photographs of churches in the south of Edinburgh.. The second and third of these are in Malcolm Cant's collection.

WR & S Reliable series

Chalmers Church Posted 1918

Chalmers U F Memorial Church Posted 1911

Grange Parish Church Not posted

- Cramond Heritage Trust Cramond, Edinburgh

Photographs by G Dodds (2), H Macintosh, D J Fraser

- River Almond at Cramond

- Cramond Harbour (colour) Not posted

- Cramond Village and Island (colour) Not posted

- Crawford - Granton

- Granton Harbour from Granton Road

- The corner of Granton Road and Boswall

I don't know whether Crawford was the name of a photographer or, perhaps more likely, the name of a shop that sold the two local untitled 'real photograph' postcards above..

What other postcards were produced and when by 'Crawford - Granton'?

- Crawford, John C

- Edinburgh Castle, floodlit

This is the only postcard that I have seen by John C Crawford. His name appears on the back of the postcard, added with a rubber inked stamp. No date is given, but it appears to be perhaps around 1970.

- Crawford, J K Home Printed in Saxony

Thumbnail Images

J K Home Crawford

Wrench Series

- Joppa

- Portobello pier

Posted 1904

Gravure Series

- Portobello High Street

- Portobello, A Ground Swell (No. 110)

Posted 1906

[no named series]

- Duddingston

- Portobello donkeys

- Portobello High Street

Posted 1902-04

- Creative Card Co Glasgow

- Allan Ramsay statue + Ramsay Garden

- 5. Palace of Holyrood, Music Room

- Crosbie, Mrs Post Office, Cramond

I have seen only one postcard with this name on the back. It comes from the collection of Malcolm Cant.

- The Glebe, Cramond

- Crown Copyright

- 3. Palace of Holyrood, Queen Mary's Bedroom

- 5. Palace of Holyrood, Music Room

- Cynicus Publishing Co Tayport, Fife

Cynicus Postcard

St Andrews

History of Cynicus

The Victorian artist, Martin Anderson ( Cynicus), was born in Leuchars Fife in 1854. He produced humorous cartoons, later reproduced as postcards when he Cynicus Publishing Company incorporated in Tayport in 1902.

John Allan (Allan Junior) who later moved to Valentine, worked for Cynicus, designing cards and writing the verse.

Cynicus are probably best known for their humorous postcards, but they also published topographical cards, including views by James Douglas RSW (1858-1911).

However, approaching 1910, the company declined, and in 1911, was in serious difficulty, facing bankruptcy.

Attempts were made to re-establish the company in Leeds and Edinburgh. I don't know how many Cynicus cards were produced after 1911, but I have been told of a one WW1 postcard, where the picture side purports to be a stamped card going the rounds of Europe in search of the Kaiser.

Cynicus died in poverty in 1932 and was buried in an unmarked grave.

Another local artist reproduced on Cynicus postcards was . Cynicus cards include 6 of his views of Edinburgh and many other views of Scotland taken from his watercolours

Acknowledgements

1. The story of Cynicus is told in the book 'The Fortunes of Cynicus' [Elspeth Reid and Flora Davidson]

2. St Andrew's University Library has provided much of the historical detail above. The university library has a collection of original drawings by Cynicus. Dr Peter Stewart (author of the second revision of 'Cynicus Postcard Checklist') has also gifted his collection of Cynicus postcards to the university.

3. Heather Jack, Edinburgh, told me about the WW1 'Kaiser' postcard

Edinburgh Postcards

There are now many collectors of Cynicus postcards. These are the Cynicus postcards of Edinburgh in my own collection:

- Central Edinburgh

- Central Edinburgh [with 'Merry Christmas' slogan on the card]

- Tolbooth [with glitter added]

- Princes Street Gardens [with glitter added]

- Scott Monument [with glitter added]

- John Knox House [with glitter added]