Professional Photography in Edinburgh

1891

From an Occasional Correspondent

The journal, The Practical Photographer, in the 1890s encouraged its readers to submit brief "shoppy" articles.  Here, are a few extracts from the journal.  [The Practical Photographer,  1 August 1891,  p.213]

Tourist Trade

The correspondent reported that the Edinburgh season began with the arrival of tourists in July with foreign and other tourists, including "train loads of country people dressed in all their best" .

"Photographers come in for a pretty fair share of the spoil, but certainly not to the extent that they enjoyed it some twenty years back when there were not so many studios in the land."

The season was reported to extend until October, with the best commercial month of the year being September.

Types of Customer

The correspondent described the different types of customer that might visit the Edinburgh photographic studios:

"The country sweetheart couple constitutes a considerable factor in the summer trade. ... they come into the reception- rooms, bashful, beaming and acutely conscious, with the story of their relationship written all over them.  This kind of client is generally a good one because he readily pays for a good class of work in the presence of his inamorata."

Visitors from the Newcastle district and from the west, with their different spending habits, were mentioned:

"perhaps the prices are much cut there, but the average tripper from the Tyne complains of Edinburgh prices."

"People from the western mining districts usually want a good thing, and pay readily for it.  The higher-class studios are busy, and platinum work is on the increase."

Types of Photograph

The correspondent described platinum prints as being entirely in place in large framed studies and purely artistic compositions. He also mentioned that the anti-retouching 'krank' was becoming extinct