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PSS Members
George Skene Keith
and
Thomas Keith
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George
Skene Keith and Thomas Keith were eminent surgeons. The two
brothers set up a private hospital in Great Stuart Street,
Edinburgh [MIT]
Both were also
photographers and prominent members of the Photographic Society of
Scotland.
They
were the sons of Rev. Dr. Alexander Keith, one of the Ministers featured
on David Octavius Hill's painting of the 1843 Disruption of the Church
of Scotland, where Ministers broke away to form the Free Church of
Scotland.
Rev.
Dr. Alexander Keith
©
Rev.
Dr. Alexander Keith
©
The
photographs of Rev. Dr. Alexander Keith above are calotypes taken by Hill & Adamson around 1843.
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1.
George
Skene Keith
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George
Skene Keith was a member of Sir James
Young Simpson’s Research Team that pioneered the use of chloroform as
an anaesthetic.
He
was a Founding Member of the Photographic Society of
Scotland, and a
keen daguerreotypist. He wrote:
- Evidence
of the Truth of the Christian Religion (1848) [SPB]
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2.
Thomas
Keith
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Thomas
Keith
© Reproduced
by courtesy of Edinburgh City
Libraries and Information Services
Here is a stereo
pair of prints of a Photographic Society of Scotland outing to Craigmillar
Castle, Edinburgh, in 1856.
John Hannavy, who researched the work of
Thomas Keith believes that Thomas Keith may be one of the members of
this group.
[TKS]
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PSS Photographic
Outing - Thomas Keith
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Thank you to
Shelley McKinney who wrote:
Thomas Keith
"I recently
purchased a booklet 'Thomas Keith 1827-1895 Surgeon and Photographer'
[The Hurd Bequest Edinburgh Corporation Libraries and
Museums Committee, 1966].'
Referring
to the photograph above the book said said:
'Though
the figures are not identified, there is a strong resemblance between the
hatless gentleman seated against the wall and Thomas Keith, and the
foreground camera is of the size and type which was used by him.' "
Shelley McKinney: September 5, 2008 |
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Thomas Keith
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Early
Years
Thomas
Keith was educated at Aberdeen, studying Art at Marischal College,
Aberdeen. In 1845, he became Medical Apprentice to Sir James
Young Simpson
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Photography
1853-56
Based on the dates recorded on his
negatives, it appears that Thomas Keith took most of his photographs
between 1853 and 1856.
He
used a camera with a single achromatic lens of 17 inch focus and 5/8
aperture. The camera had a maximum image area 11 ins x 10
ins. He reported that his exposures ranged from 2 to 8 minutes,
depending on the circumstances.
His
photography appears to have come to an end around 1857. From
then on, he devoted more time to his medical commitments, and became
an eminent surgeon.
[Edinburgh
Library Exhibition]
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Pictorial
Photography
Thomas
Keith was brother in law of John Forbes White whom he met at school.
Both knew David Octavius Hill; all three having an interest in painting which gave their photography a strong pictorial
quality. [MIT]
Thomas
Keith took many views of Edinburgh, particularly in the early
morning. He took photographs only when the light was good. He
said:
"If
you were to ask me to what circumstances more than any other I
attribute my success, I should say that I never expose my paper unless
the light is first rate."
He
was a pioneer of the waxed paper process and produced attractive views of
the empty streets of Edinburgh lit by the low sun with long shadows.
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PSS
Member
Thomas
Keith was a Founding Member of the Photographic Society of Scotland in
1856, and a Member of its Council in 1856 and 1857. He
delivered a Paper to the Photographic Society of Scotland on 10 June
1856.
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Thomas
Keith
Further Research |
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Seminar
The Scottish Society for the
History of Photography held a one-day seminar on Thomas Keith and his
photography, in Edinburgh Central LIbrary in November 24, 2006.
The society plans to do more in the coming months to bring Keith's
work to a wider audience. |
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Photographs and Negatives in Collections
The Edinburgh Room at
Edinburgh Central LIbrary has a collection of Keith's negatives and
photographs. Where else can his work be found?
Prints and negatives by
Thomas Keith, can also be found at:
- Scottish National Portrait Gallery
- Royal Scottish Academy
- National Museum of Photography, Film and Television
- Canadian Centre for Architecture
- George Eastman House
- Harry Ransom Centre
John Hannavy, who wrote Thomas Keith's Scotland, published in
1981, and who hopes to publish a further book on Keith in 2007, also has
several negatives that he believes to be by Keith. However, no
definitive catalogue of Keith's work has ever been published.
Thank you to Roddy Simpson and John Hannavy for providing
the list above. |
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Request for Help
If you know of any other
negatives of photos by Thomas Keith, or of any correspondence to or from
Thomas Keith, please
e-mail me and tell me about it.
Thank-you. - Peter Stubbs,
December 10, 2006. |
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