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George Washington Wilson

551 98

Description George Washington Wilson

Collection George Washington Wilson

Catalogue Number 551 98

Category All Other

Administrative History George Washington Wilson (1823-1893) was born in the North East of Scotland. He initially trained at Edinburgh as a carpenter, and then in London as a portrait miniaturist. During the 1850s he was able to establish himself as an artist and photographer in Aberdeen. One of his first significant clients was Prince Albert, who invited him to photograph the Royal Family in the grounds of Balmoral. This resulted in Wilson receiving the official appointment of Photographer Royal for Scotland in 1860. Wilson would continue to work for Queen Victoria after Prince Albert's death in 1861. Wilson won various awards for his photographic work, most notably medals at the Great London International Exhibition of 1862 for his short exposure experiments. By this time he was able to set up his own printing works in Aberdeen, George Washington Wilson & Co, capturing images across Britain. He was able to employ a staff of photographers which included his son, Charles Wilson who undertook many tours of South Africa and across Australia, depicting early gold mining settlers and the native ways of life. Wilson & Co also travelled to the Mediterranean, capturing Gibraltar, Tangiers, the South of Spain and Morocco. By the 1880s the firm had become one of the largest and most recognisable printing and photographic firms in the country, in large part to George Washington Wilson's acumen as a photographer and businessman. Wilson passed on his business to his three sons, Charles, Louis and John Wilson in 1888. The company did not survive long under the guidance of the Wilson brothers, with large parts of the company being sold off in 1905, and ceasing trade fully in 1908. Fred Hardie, one of Wilson & Co's senior photographers, acquired a substantial amount of the company's stock after a 1908 auction, which was later passed onto Archibald J B Strachan, one time assistant to Hardie. When moving to new premises in 1954, Strachan offered the collection to the Aberdeen University Library, where the collection is now preserved.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/1176397

Collection Hierarchy - Collection Level

Collection Level (551 98) George Washington Wilson

Preview Category Catalogue Number Title Date Level
Print Room AG 7159 PO Carskey House. General view. Insc: 'Carskey House, Southend 13,173 G.W.W.' c. 1890 Item Level
Print Room AG 7152 PO Historic photograph. Distant general view. c. 1885 Item Level
Print Room AG 7164 PO Historic photograph. Distant general view. c. 1880 Item Level
Print Room D 10207 Pitkeathly Wells. Historic photographic view. Insc: 'Pitcaithly Wells Bridge of Earn 1186 GWW'. c. 1875 Item Level
Print Room AG 7148 PO Loch Melfort, Melfort Cottage, now Kilchoan House. Historic photograph showing distant view. Insc: 'Melfort Cottage, Loch Melfort 5344 G.W.W.' c. 1885 Item Level
Print Room AG 7145 Kilmelford, Melfort House. Historic photograph showing distant view. Insc: 'Melfort House, Kilmelford 5346 G.W.W.' c. 1885 Item Level
Print Room AG 7113 PO Machrihanish, Pans Hotel. Historic photograph showing general view of hotel. Insc: 'Pans Hotel, Machrihanish, 13,171 G.W.W.' c. 1895 Item Level
Print Room AG 7124 Macharioch House. Historic photograph showing general view. Insc: 'Macharioch. 13,175 G.W.W'. c. 1880 Item Level
Print Room AG 7174 Macharioch House. Historic photograph showing general view. Insc: 'Macharioch. 13,175 G.W.W'. c. 1895 Item Level
Print Room AG 7110 PO Historic photograph showing general view. c. 1885 Item Level
Print Room AG 7172 PO Argyll, Killellan House. Historic photograph of Killellan House. Insc: 'Killellan House. 13,174. G.W.W'. c. 1890 Item Level
Print Room AG 7143 PO Argyll, Kilmelford, Cuilfail Hotel. General view. Insc: 'Loch Melfort & Cuilfail Hotel. 5370. G.W.W'. c. 1880 Item Level
Print Room AG 7170 PO Argyll, Kilmelford, Cuilfail Hotel. General view. Insc: 'Cuilfail Hotel, Kimelford. 5423. G.W.W.' c. 1885 Item Level
Print Room AG 7144 PO Argyll, Kilmelford, Cuilfail Hotel. General view. Insc: 'Cuilfail Hotel, Kimelford. 5349. G.W.W.' c. 1880 Item Level
Print Room AG 14400 PO Argyll, Kilmelford, Cuilfail Hotel. General view. c. 1880 Item Level
Print Room AG 14399 PO Argyll, Kilmelford, Cuilfail Hotel. General view. c. 1880 Item Level
Print Room AG 7149 PO Historic photograph showing general view. Insc: 'Ardchonnel Castle, Loch Awe 1903 G.W.W.' Item Level
Print Room PT 4879 PC Postcard view of castle. Insc: 'Castle Monzie, Perthshire, 2509 G W W'. c. 1885 Item Level
Print Room AG 7122 PO Historic photograph. General view. Insc: 'Taynuilt Hotel. 2919. G.W.W'. c. 1875 Item Level
Print Room AN 2990 Historic photographic view. 1895 Item Level
Print Room AN 2989 Historic photographic view. 1895 Item Level
Print Room KC 651 PO Historic photograph. General view. Insc. : 'Gannochie Bridge, Glen Esk. 6300. G.W.W.' c. 1885 Item Level
Print Room KC 653 PO Historic photograph. General view. c. 1885 Item Level
Print Room AB 4051 PO Historic photograph. General view from S. Insc.: 'Forest of Glentana. R.M. 150.' c. 1880 Item Level

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