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.

- J D S & Co Edinburgh

See Scott, J D & Co

- J M & Co [J McCulloch & Co]

Thumbnail Images

J M Postcards

J McCulloch's postcards were printed at Hillside Printing Works, Gorgie, Edinburgh. The company produced the Caledonia Series of postcards. It also used the cards of several other companies including Hartmann and Davidson Brothers .[DPP]

All the Caledonia Series of cards that I have seen are of views of Central Edinburgh or else views near the shore of the Firth of Forth from Queensferry in the west to Portobello in the east.

The cards below have the 'JM' logo, an intertwined 'J' and 'M' in a shield, on the back of the cards, but no mention of the location of the company. However, I believe that at one time the company was described as 'JM & CO, Edinburgh & Glasgow.'

Several styles of back were used by J M & Co.

Caledonia Series

- Breakwater and East Harbour, Granton

- Calton Hill, Edinburgh

- The Clock, Morningside Road, Edinburgh

- Cramond Brig

- Forth Bridge (tartan border)

- Edinburgh Castle and National Libraries (pink sheen )

- Edinburgh Castle Esplanade (tartan border, shield, white heather + J V picture)

- Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street Gardens (Davidson Bros.)

- Ferry Road

- Granton Square

- Holyrood Palace and Arthur's Seat (tartan border)

- Imperial Dock, Leith

- King's Road, Portobello

- Leith suburbs

- Leith, West Pier

- The New Hospital Dalkeith (Whitehill)

- Portobello, Public Baths

- Princes Street, looking east (tartan border)

- Trinity - Earl Haig Gardens

- View from Castle, Edinburgh ('frame' border)

Posted 1911-18 (most)

Posted 1945 (The Clock, Morningside Road, Edinburgh)

Posted 1929 (Cramond Brig)

Caledonia Series - Published by Hartmann
What was the connection between Hartmann and J M & Co?

- Forth Bridge (and White Heather) - Posted 1907

Series not named

Was this from the same publisher as the J M & Co postcards? This one is in a different style and was posted about a decade earlier than the others.

- The Library and Fire Station, Stockbridge ('Compliments of the Season')

Posted 1903

- J & MS Edinburgh

I have only seen one card from this publisher. It has not been sent through the post. It is in the style of the early 1900s, but has a divided back so must be 1902 or later.

- Comely Bank Avenue (see above)

- JRC

'JRC' is a reference number on the front of this card. It may refer to the photographer or the publisher. I have only seen one postcard in this series.

- Granton Church (at the foot of Granton Road, beside Granton Sqare

Posted 1909

- JRE

The Roxburgh Series

- Tartan border

Posted 1915

- JRRE - See Russell, JR

Thumbnail Images

JRRE Postcards

- J S & S Edinburgh

St Giles Series

The first two postcards below (Edinburgh Castle and Rosslyn Chapel) have almost identical skies. Similar skies also appear on cards published by Alexander G Anderson around 1910 to 1920.

- Edinburgh Castle, from Johnstone Terrace

- Rosslyn Chapel - Posted 1912

- Portobello Marine Gardens - Posted 1909

- Newhaven Fishwives

- J S & Son Edinburgh

Elm Series

- Meadowbank, Edinburgh Not posted

- Piershill Place, Edinburgh Not posted

- JW & Co Ltd London

- Calton Hill

- Jarold, J & Sons Norwich

Chrome Series

- Edinburgh suburbs - Inverleith Park Posted 1951

- Greyfriars' Bobby, Edinburgh (ED129) (Malcolm Cant Collection) Posted 1956

- John Dewar Studios Edinburgh

- Edinburgh, Scotland

"Ariel view of the Royal Mile, looking over the Palace of Holyroodhouse towards Edinburgh Castle."

- John Hinde Redruth, Cornwall

'Scotland' series (with logo featuring small map of Scotland on the back of the card)

- Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

I don't know hoe many postcards of Edinburgh John Hinde published. The card above is numbered 2SC 767. It is a colour photograph featuring detail of the Ross Fountain in the foreground and Edinburgh Castle on Castle Hill in the background.

- Johnston, W & A K Ltd Edinburgh Glasgow, London

- 1903 Royal Visit to Edinburgh

- 1905 Royal Visit to Edinburgh

- Barnton Hotel Posted 1915

- Cramond Ferry

- Edinburgh Castle from Greyfriars (painting)

- Granton Castle near Edinburgh (painting)

- Liberton (painting)

- Roslin Glen

Posted 1903-05

The company was established as a printing and engraving business in 1826 by the brothers William and Alexander Keith Johnston. In 1848 it published the Physical Atlas. (See also ' NOTE' below)*

From 1901, postcards were printed at the Edina Printing Works, Easter Road. Hence the name Edina Series of postcards. [PPP]

Here is how one of W & A K Johnston's Edina Series of postcards was sold. This envelope originally contained six postcards of Leith:

Question

I've also been told of another atlas: On 24 July 2007, Russell Newcombe, Pitt Meadows, British Columbia, Canada wrote:

"I have a copy of W. & A. K. Johnston's Historical Atlas.
There is no date on it.
The inside title is Half-Crown Historical Atlas.
Can you tell me when it was published?"

If you can help to answer Russell's question, please e-mail me and I'll pass your message on to him.

Thank you. - Peter Stubbs: July 24, 2007

Reply 1

Thank you to Jenny Parkerson, Edinburgh, for telling me that the Map Room of the National Library of Scotland has a copy of this atlas. It is in their catalogue as having been published in 1891.

Reply 2

Thank you to George T Smith, Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, for searching the ABE Books web site and finding a copy of this atlas for sale. George has provided this extract from the book description on the ABE Books web site:

"W. & A. K. Johnston Edinburgh No date. No Edition Stated. Small hardcover, illustrated and embossed covers.
35 pages of color maps, index, year-by-year account of important historical events, ending in 1898
Assume publication date was close after 1898."

So it seems likely that there has been more than one edition of this atlas.

- Peter Stubbs: July 25, 2007

- Judges Hastings

Judge's postcards included topographical views throughout Britain. Please click here for a brief history of Judge's postcards

These are some of Judge's views in and around Edinburgh. Judge's postcards can be easily recognised. I find many of them to be rather dull and gloomy as in the example above (which I have brightened in the enlargement to bring out more detail in the ferry boat at South Queensferry).

- Auld Reekie (with atmospheric sky)

- Calton Hill (with atmospheric sky)

- Edinburgh High Street

- Forth Bridge (with ferry boat, 'Forfarshire', leaving Hawes Pier, South Queensferry)

Dating Postcards

Thank you to Gordon Howe, Wales, for telling me that:

- there is a list of Judge's cards up to 1940 on the web.

- he has had some cards dated by Judges. I don't know how many cards there were. but Judges charged him £15 to look up the numbers and provide the dates. Gordon thought this charge was reasonable.

Comment 1

Norman Street wrote:

Numbering of Postcards

"I should be very grateful if you could comment on a friend’s understanding of Judge’s cataloguing system, viz:- that if a postcard is/was produced by Judge for a unique outlet – a small local gift shop for example – then the allocated catalogue number always/usually included an 'x”'.

Norman Street: email, January 24, 2012

I'm not familiar with the numbering system used for Judges postcards. Perhaps somebody else will be able to comment.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: January 2012

Comment 2

Numbering of Postcards

and

Judge v. Valentine

Thank you to John Toohey, Montreal, for his comments below on postcards published by Judge and Valentine. John has now (Dec 2014) begun a PhD in History of Art at Concordia University, Montreal.. His subject is Judge.

John wrote:

"It was some of Judge's postcards of Edinburgh that got me first interested in him. I know you say on your website that you're not keen on the heavy tones but the ones I bought had a heavy atmosphere I associated with 19th century Edinburgh, at least from reading Robert Louis Stevenson and William Roughead's accounts of trials, which always left me with the impression murder was inevitable in the city back then.

I'm generally not that keen on Valentine's cards. As as you point out, the company edited in and out details that make them unreliable evidence. Also, it is hard to find information on the photographers, whereas we know Judge took all his photos before 7500 and most until 8500"..

John Toohey, Montreal: December 20, 2012

Hi John

Thanks for your comments. I agree. The gloomy style of the Judge postcards may well have created the right sort of atmosphere to match scenes in Edinburgh in the late-19th century and early-20th century, when the smoky atmosphere from the house fires and the railway and haars from the Firth of Forth could created what became known as 'Auld Reekie.

The air in Edinburgh is much clearer today, and much of the stonework has been cleaned since the 1950s.

As for the Valentine postcards, the photographer may not be known for all the photos, but St Andrews University Library has produced a useful little booklet that helps the photos to be dated.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh: December 20, 20142