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Photography
replaces
Engraving?
The
19th century Edinburgh photographers,
no doubt, saw the the potential for photography to replace engravings in
book illustrations, just as it had
become
accepted, rather than miniature paintings, for portraiture.
Several of Edinburgh's photographers from the mid 19th century
onwards came from
families of engravers, or had other links with engraving.-
John
Horsburgh (1791-1869)
came from a family of engravers.
His
grandfather, John Horsburgh, worked chiefly in line on copper and produced views to
illustrate The Land of Burns, published in 1840.
GW
Wilson,
Alexander
Adam Inglis,
Francis
Caird Inglis,
Archibald Burns
and
others were produced landscape and urban views, including
Edinburgh, in the 19th century. It is interesting that some of
these photos, themselves, became the subject of engravings for books.
Photographers
appear to have taken an interest in engraving:
Thomas
Annan, an exhibitor
in several of the photographic exhibitions of the Photographic Society
of Scotland established the printing and photo-engraving business, Swan
& Annan in the 1880s. [P&P:RL]
Alexander
Nicol gave a lecture to
EPS in 1873
"Photographic
Printing on Wood as an assistance to the Engraver'
George Aikman
[photographer,
1907-09] gave a
lecture to Edinburgh Photographic Society in 1906, entitled:
"A
Sketch History of Engraving".
George
Aikman may well have been son of the Edinburgh landscape, portrait and
topographical engraver George W Aikman, who was himself son of the
engraver George Aikman who worked for Lizars. [P&P:RL]
[Edinburgh
Trade Directories]
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