John Donaldson Edward and his wife, Elizabeth

John Donaldson Edward
and his wife
Elizabeth Duncan Wharton

Midget Postcard

This photograph of John Donaldson Edward and his wife, Elizabeth Duncan Wharton is a Midget Postcard, sent by Elizabeth on 2 August 1906 to her daughter Charlotte on holiday (or possibly living) in Fife Scotland.

The message reads:

2.8.06

Hope that you are
enjoying yourselves
and have good weather.

Love to yourselves
and the children.

From Mother

Postcards were frequently used for studio portraits between about 1900 and 1930, though very few of those that I have seen have been sent through the post.

Outdoor portraits on postcards such as the one above were less common, Most postcards were 5.25 ins x 3.25 ins. but the 'Midget Card' were a little narrower, the proportions being closer to those of a traditional quarter- plate photograph.

Elizabeth Duncan Wharton (Sen)
and
Elizabeth Duncan Wharton (Jun)

Thank you to Frances Corbin, Herefordshire, England, great-granddaughter of Elizabeth Duncan Wharton (Jun) who was a step daughter of John Donaldson Edward for the following additional information.

Frances wrote:

"Elisabeth Duncan Wharton (Sen) married:

1. Charles Wharton in 1878 THEN

2. Photographer, John Donaldson Edward

The eldest daughter of Elizabeth Duncan Wharton, from her first marriage, was also named Elizabeth Duncan Wharton.

She married David George Mitchell (originally from Edinburgh), who was in the Indian Civil Service, on 2nd March 1906 in Bombay Cathedral.

They lived in India until 1935 when David retired. They then returned to Scotland and settled in Moffat, Dumfriesshire where they lived until their deaths in 1963.

They had two children, Beatrix Elizabeth (my maternal Grandmother) and Alexander David, known as David, who was killed in Burma during WW2."

Frances Wharton: 20 February 2006

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