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.

- S Hildesheimer & Co Ltd London, Manchester

The firm of S. Hildesheimer & Co Ltd began publishing greeting cards during the last quarter of the 19^th century and by the end of the century were publishing postcards covering a wide range of subjects and styles. The firm is probably best known for its long series of cards, mainly topographical, in the ‘5000 Series’. Among these are the following 6 cards numbered 5470, titled ‘Views of Edinburgh, Heraldic’.

Heraldic Series No 5470

- Edinburgh Castle (with Edinburgh Coat of Arms)

- Edinburgh Castle and National Gallery (with Edinburgh Coat of Arms)

- Holyrood Palace (with Edinburgh Coat of Arms)

- John Knox's House (with Edinburgh Coat of Arms)

- North British Hotel (with Edinburgh Coat of Arms)

- Princes Street showing the Waverley Memorial (with Edinburgh Coat of Arms)

S Hildesheimer & Co Ltd also printed many hundreds of postcards of local views for publication by organisations such as libraries, newsagents etc in various parts of the country. The following card, probably one of a set of 6, was printed round about 1920 for W & EJ Milne, presumably a newsagent or bookshop, of 45 Princes Street, Edinburgh.

- Forth Bridge from the NW (Most postcard views of the bridge are from the SW.)

Thank you to John McWilliam, Rainham, Kent, a collector of Hildesheimer postcards:

- for helping me to compile the list of postcards above and
- for providing the background details on S Hildesheimer & Co Ltd below.

- St Columba's Hospice Edinburgh

A series of 12 views of Edinburgh, probably published in the early 2000s. All are paintings by Alexander Duncan Bell:

- Castlehill from the Esplanade

- Edinburgh from Queen's Park

- Fettes College

- George Street

- Leith

- Melville Crescent

- New Museum of Scotland

- St Andrew Square

- Swanston

- Usher Hall

- William Street

Paintings by Keli Clark

- Edinburgh Castle

Paintings by Lynn Hanley

- Evening in the Grassmarket

- Festival Fireworks and the National Gallery of Scotland

- Lawnmarket

- Ramsay Garden in snow

- Whitehouse Close

- Windows, St Giles Cathedral- Winter Grassmarket

- Sanbridge, M'bro

This card had a small, slim logo of a church steeple or similar.

- Church of Scotland Women's Missionary College, 23 Inverleith Row

- Schwerdtfeger [EAS] London

- Princes Street

- High St closes

Posted 1912-13

- Scholastic Co Bispham, Blackpool

The postcard above is the only one Edinburgh card that I have seen by Scholastic Co. On the back, it has a logo (top centre) comprising the letters 'S', 'S' and 'C' intertwined in a circle.

- Edinburgh Castle, Scottish National Memorial (illustrated above)

Not posted
(but has the legend 'Opened July 1927). The card may well have been produced shortly after the opening.

- The Scientific Press Ltd London

- Charteris Ward, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh Not posted

- A ward at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital Posted 1909

- Scotland in Focus

A series of views of Scotland, including Edinburgh. Photographers include Gordon Davies, Gordon Henderson, Duncan McEwan, J MacPherson and R Weir. These cards are on sale in Edinburgh, 2003.

- Scott, J D & Co Edinburgh

A sepia postcard

- Bakehouse Close

Celtic Series

- Village, Juniper Green (No 209) - Posted 1914

- Scott, W Graham Post Office, Juniper Green

This is the only postcard that I have seen published for W Graham Scott. It is a sepia postcard from the collection of Malcolm Cant.

- Lanark Road, Juniper Green (491/58) (sepia)

- Scott, W Graham Post Office, Juniper Green

This is the only postcard that I have seen published for W Graham Scott. It is a sepia postcard from the collection of Malcolm Cant.

- Lanark Road, Juniper Green (491/58) (sepia)

- The Scottish Field

- Upper Library, Old College, University of Edinburgh (colour) Not posted

- The Scottish Review

- United Free Church Assembly Hall (view looking up the Mound)

Posted 1906

- Scott, Walter Bradford

- Kirk of the Greyfriars, interior, looking east [EE825] Not posted

- Greyfriars Kirkyard [PH561] Not posted

- Seagull Trust Ratho

The Seagull Trust is a charity offering cruises on the Union Canal from Ratho for the disabled.

- The Mackay Seagull (colour) Not posted

- Sepiatone Cards

- John Knox House

Posted 1917

- Shiels, Drummond

- Triumphal Arch for the Royal Visit - Minto Street

Posted 1907

- Shurey's Publications

The note printed on the back of the postcard above reads:

"This beautiful Series of Fine Art Post Cards is supplied free exclusively by Shurey's Publications comprising "Smart Novels", "Yes and No" and "Dainty Novels. The finest 1d Magazine is "Weekly Tale Teller"

- Princes Street - not posted

Thank you to John McWilliam, Rainham, Kent, formerly a collector of Shurey's postcards:

- for telling me of a list of Shurey cards produced by Jim Rowlands of Emsworth, Hants

- for providing details below of several publishers who have produced postcards for Shurey.

Printed by Delittle, Fenwick & Co, York for Shurey's Publications.

- Scott's Statue Edinburgh
Stamp square message: "Printed by Delittle, Fenwick & Co, York for Shurey's Publications"
Address-side message says that the card was issued free with Shurey's Publications

Printed by Allday Ltd., Birmingham.

- Edinburgh from the Castle
Stamp square message "Printed exclusively for Shurey's Publications"
Address-side message says that the card was issued free with Shurey's Publications

Printed by Nimmo, Leith, Edinburgh

- Dean Bridge, Edinburgh
- Old Tolbooth, Canongate, Edinburgh
- St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh
- St Bernard's Well, Edinburgh 646
- George Street, Edinburgh. 648
- Bank of Scotland, Edinburgh. 649.
Address-side message says that the card was issued free with Shurey's Publications

- Skilton, Charles Edinburgh and London

Modern postcard

- Several small views of Edinburgh on a single card

Posted 1977

- Small, Edinburgh

Black + white postcard

- Saughton Games Not posted

- Small, D M

Coloured postcard

- Golden Acre (sic), Edinburgh

- Inverleith Place, Edinburgh

- Inverleith Row, Edinburgh

- Warrender Crescent, Edinburgh [2806] Not posted

- Smith G Post Office, Duddingston

I have seen just two card with this name on the back, a sepia card of Duddingston. Both were in the collection of Malcolm Cant.

- Duddingston Church Gateway, showing the jugs and loupin' on stane Not posted

- Cross Roads, Duddingston Dams (a Valentine postcard) Posted 1940s

- Smith Goldenacre, Edinburgh

Thumbnail Images

Smith

W Smith of Goldenacre, Edinburgh (about a mile inland, to the south-east of Granton Harbour) produced several postcards of the Granton area, including:

- Head of Granton Breakwater

- Goldenacre Posted 1917

- Granton Beach.

- Granton Breakwater and Beach

- Granton Breakwater and Warships

- Granton Harbour (and Eastern Breakwater) Posted 1920

- R & H Somerville

I have only seen this one postcard from the publishers, R & H Somerville. The card has not been sent through the post.

It has a divided back and a stamp box message that reads "A half-penny stamp to be placed here", so the card must have been published between 1902 and 1918.

- St Bernard's Crescent, Stockbridge, Edinburgh

- Spencer Page Marketing

Modern postcards by Janet Page

- Evening Sky in West End

- Royal Botanic Garden

- Huntly House

- Steedman's Beach Bazaar Portobello, Edinburgh

I know of only one postcard published by Steedman's Beach Bazaar. It was shown to me by Archie Foley and is a view of Marlborough Mansions, part of Portobello Promenade. Steedman's Beach Bazaar was one of the shops in Marlborough Mansions when this card was published around 1925.

- Marlborough Mansions, Portobello

- Stengel & Co London

- Edinburgh Castle - Inspection of the "Black Watch" by Lord Roberts Posted 1907

- Holyrood Abbey

- Parliament House

- Museum of Science & Art

Posted 1904-06, 1919

- Stewart & Woolf London

The magazine Picture Postcard Monthly (Dec 2010, pp.44-47) has an article about the publishers, Stewart & Woolf, and their block colour postcards. The company was formed in London around 1900 and produced several series of their distinctive 'block colour' silhouette cards. This article lists 43 series, including two of Edinburgh scenes (below)

Series 328: Edinburgh

- Forth Bridge (green)

- John Knox House, Netherbow (orange)

- McEwan Hall (reprinted in Series 329) (yellow)

- Princes Street, West End (yellow)

- St George's Church (orange)

- View from Calton Hill (green)

Series 328: Edinburgh

- Castle from Esplanade (grey)

- McEwan Hall (from series 328) (yellow)

- Morningside Row* (orange)
* presumably Morningside Road?

- Nelson's Monument, Calton Hill (orange)

- NW Tower, Holyrood Palace (it could be 328) (pink)

- Princes Street, looking East (mauve)

- Sir Walter Scott's Monument (green)

- Stephen Stockbridge, Edinburgh

- Edinburgh suburbs - Arboretum Avenue at Stockbridge

Posted 1905

- Stephen Stationer, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh

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

- Longmore Hospital Posted 1926

- Stewart, George 92 George Street, Edinburgh

George Stewart is reputed by some to be the first British publisher to include pictures on postcards.

UPDATE

Thank you to George Webber for responding to the sentence above.
George wrote:

The First British Postcards

"It is now generally agreed that the first British Picture Postcard was published by ETW Dennis of Scarborough. (See Picture Postcard Monthly. 1991, October and December). I run a Webber Postcards web site that is mostly concerned with ETW Dennis and first GB cards www.webber-postcard.me.uk

On the Webber Postcards site, there is a thorough look at Stewart’s claim to be the first GB publisher.

Basically no Stewart Picture Postcard (PPC) has turned up dated 1894, but some Dennis PPC cards dated 1894 have turned up.

See 'Earliest' listings in PPC Annual 2014 or 2015. Also see my site and pictures on a BBC site listed in the Links section of my site

George Webber, Guernsey, Channel Islands: Nov 14, + Dec 16, 2014

George Stewart's company produced:

- court cards from around 1895. These measured 4.75 ins x 3.5 ins THEN

- larger postcards from around 1899. These measured 5.5 ins x 3.5 ins
This 5.5 ins x 3.5 ins size became the standard size of postcard for several decades

Here are thumbnail images of some of George Stewart's Castle Series of postcards of Edinburgh, some in colour, others in black and white.

- Stewart & Woolf London

- Stirling Gallery

Subjects include

- Charlotte Square

- Waverley Market

One of the Stirling Gallery post cards is sold as part of the National Trust range of cards.

Stirling Gallery post cards include photographs by:

- Douglas Corrance

- B Lube:

- Gordon Henderson

- David Morrison

- Sheila D Taylor

On sale 2001

- Stoddart & Malcolm Edinburgh

I've only ever seen one postcard published by Stoddart & Malcolm:

- Liberton Kirk, 1930

- Stubbs, Percy 44 Ashley Terrace, Edinburgh

- Ashley Terrace, North Merchiston, Edinburgh Not posted

- Bonaly Road, North Merchiston, Edinburgh Not posted

- Lockhart Bridge, North Merchiston, Edinburgh Not posted

- Union Canal, Colinton Road, Edinburgh Posted 1905

- Sutherland Joppa

I have seen these two, but only the fronts of them so don't know whether or when they might have been posted:

- High Street, Portobello

- Princes Street, Edinburgh

I have also seen one other postcard by Sutherland. It was posted in 1939.

- Swain, John & Son London

The card below was published by HM Office of Works

Castle from Johnstone Terrace

- Swain, John & Co London + Hastings

Swaingravure Series

Some of these post cards were produced for the Office of Works [TR]

Edinburgh Castle