Talk to Edinburgh University - Celtic and Scottish Studies

There are many collections of photographs in Edinburgh. Here are some that might be of interest, based on my own experience in Edinburgh.

A few of the Photographic Collections in Edinburgh
Collection		Comments	Subjects
1.	Edinburgh Room Edinburgh Central Library, George IV Bridge	No appointment needed	Edinburgh
2.	RCAHMS 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh	No appointment needed	Buildings
2.	RCAHMS 16 Bernard Terrace, Edinburgh	Appointment needed	Aerial Photos
3.	Scottish National Portrait Gallery 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh* * Closed for refurbishment until late 2011	Appointment needed	Scottish + other photographers
4.	Museum of Edinburgh 142, Canongate, Edinburgh	Appointment needed	Scottish social history
5	Scottish Life Archive Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street	Appointment needed	Scottish social history
6.	Living Memories Association 64/1, The Causeway	Appointment needed	Scottish social history
7.	School of Scottish Studies 27 George Square	Appointment needed	Scottish social history
8.	Scran www.scran.ac.uk	Web-based Subscription to see larger images	Wide range

Books

1. Stenlake Publishing:

Stenlake books have a wide range of authors. They cover villages and towns throughout Scotland and a few specialist themes, particularly transport.
Here are a few of the many titles:

- Old Cramond

- Old Dean and Stockbridge

- Old Gorgie

- Old Leith

- Old North Berwick

- Old Perth

- Edinburgh Trams - The Last Years Vols 1,2,3,4

- Lost Railways of the Lothians

- Steamers of the Forth Vols 1,2

- The Union Canal: A Capital Asset

- Wheels Around Edinburgh

These books include old photos, often taken from old postcards, published up to the 1930s* together with a brief paragraph commenting on each photo.
* Postcards published more recently are still copyright so are not normally used.

2. Malcolm Cant Publications:

Malcolm Cant has been writing books on Edinburgh since 1984. His more recent books (the last of which was published by Stenlake) include many previously unpublished photos from private collections.
Some recent titles:

- Marchmont, Sciennes and the Grange

- Edinburgh Shops, Past and Present

- Edinburgh People at Work and Leisure

- South Edinburgh

- Edinburgh's Old Town and its Environs

- Edinburgh's New Town and its Environs

3. Scotsman Publications:

Scotsman Publications publish 'The Scotsman' and the 'Evening News'.
Unfortunately, the archive of 'Evening News' photos was thrown out when the company moved premises in the 1960s. However, good use has been made of the photos that have survived.
They appear regularly in special features in the 'Evening News' and in calendars, and many have been added to the SCRAN web site.
Titles of books featuring photos from the Scotsman Publications archive include:

- Edinburgh Since 1900 Ninety Years of Photographs

- Edinburgh The Fabulous 50s

- Living Memories A Portrait of Edinburgh in the Last Century

4. Books about Photographers:

- David Octavius Hill & Robert Adamson (National Galleries of Scotland)

- George Washington Wilson - Artist and Photographer, 1823-93 (Roger Taylor)

- Thomas Begbie's Edinburgh - A Mid-Victorian Portrait (D Patterson + Joe Rock)

- Yerbury Photographic Collection - 1850-1993 (Malcolm Cant + Trevor E Yerbury)

5. Other Collections

I've found that a good way to discover about photographic collections and the types of photo that they hold is to look at the credits beneath the photos that appear in books.