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Hay
David Syme Hay (1826-1872)
George Heron Hay (1824- ? )
G & D Hay
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G
& D Hay
G
& D Hay was a partnership between the brothers:
- George Heron Hay and
- David
Syme Hay.
Both
were born in Montrose. Both
were artists who exhibited in the Royal Scottish Academy.
They
established their business at 79 Princes Street in 1855, describing
themselves as Photographic Artists.
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The advert below refers to G & D Hay's first
studio, at No 79 Princes Street:
Advertisement
The Daily Express, 12 September 1855
ALSO: several other dates in Sep + Oct 1855
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PORTRAITS! PORTRAITS!
GREAT IMPROVEMENTS
The much improved
PORTRAITS, which can be viewed at all Angles, are taken in a few
seconds, in any weather, at
HAY's PORTRAIT ROOMS
79 PRINCES STREET,
Opposite the Mound
COPIES made of
pictures in Oil or Watercolours |
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Two years later G & D Hay had a studio at 68 and
70 Princes Street (referred to as 68 Princes Street on their cartes de
visite).
Advertisement
The Scotsman, 18 March 1857, page 1
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PORTRAITS!
The much admired
PATENT PORTRAITS are taken in any Weather, and are warranted to
stand in any climate.
At HAY's 68 and 70 PRINCES
STREET, Edinburgh
for the Stereoscope Locket,
Brooches, Cases, &c.
PORTRAITS on PAPER, Plain or
Coloured
PORTRAITS and PICTURES of all kinds
Copied.
Prices from 2s. 6d. upwards.
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OPINIONS OF THE PRESS
"The remarkable likenesses in the
Galleries of Messrs G & D Hay evince the success of these artists in
the highest departments of the photographic art"
Evening Courant, Nov 29th 1856
"The untouched photographs of Messrs
G & D Hay, Edinburgh, may be noticed, rivalling as they do, in
clearness and delicacy, the finest productions of their class.
London Times, Dec 16th, 1856 |
G & D Hay also advertised in The Scotsman
on 25 Apr, 9 May + 4, 25 Jul + 1, 8, 15 Aug + 5, 12, 19, Sep + 24 Oct
+ 14 +21 Nov + 12 Dec 1857, then throughout 1858 and 1859.
Advertisement
The Scotsman, 12 June 1858, page 1
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GREATEST WONDER OF THE AGE !!!
______
Everybody has, or ought to have, a
STEREOSCOPE; and everybody can have a DOUBLE PORTRAIT taken for the
Stereoscope for 5s., at HAY'S PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY, 68 PRINCES STREET,
Ground Floor, same entrance as to Telegraph Office.
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OPINIONS OF THE PRESS
"The remarkable likenesses in the
Galleries of Messrs G & D Hay evince the success of these artists in
the highest departments of the photographic art"
Evening Courant, Nov 29th 1856
"The untouched photographs of Messrs
G & D Hay, Edinburgh, may be noticed, rivalling as they do, in
clearness and delicacy, the finest productions of their class.
London Times, Dec 16th, 1856 |
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Some
of their cartes de visite were titled:
G&D
Hay, 68 Princes Street.
Others
were titled:
Hay,
68 Princes
Street.
Carte
de Visite
Copyright:
Zella Ashford, Edinburgh
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Studios
Edinburgh & Portobello
Following the G & D Hay Partnership at:
- 79 Princes Street (1855-58) THEN
- 68 Princes Street (1856-69)
David S Hay established his own studio at:
- 68 Princes Street (1870-76)
David Syme Hay also had a studio at:
- 32 Bath Street Portobello.
I have not found this studio in the trade directories, but know of two of
his cartes de visite bearing this address. One is undated; the other
(for sale on eBay in March 2005) is dated 1865. |
PSS Exhibitions
Both
David and George Hay joined PSS in 1856, the year it was established.
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In the
2nd PSS Exhibition in 1857, they exhibited glass positive portraits.
“This
method with dark background presents a showy clearness which attracts notice,
although in artistic quality they are far inferior to the ordinary calotypes on
paper produced by the negative method.
The
simplicity of the process, however, and the striking effect it presents to the
untutored eye, have led to glass being much employed in portraiture, and there
are some excellent specimens of this style in the rooms by recent photographers.
Those by G&D Hay are the most numerous.”
[DS:1/1/1858]
3rd
PSS Exhibition, Dec 1858
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In the
3rd PSS Exhibition, in 1858, they exhibited 49 photographs.
Most were portraits; some wet collodion ; many glass positives.
4th
PSS Exhibition, Dec 1859
- In the
4th PSS Exhibition, in 1859, they exhibited 11 photographs.
"
Comparison betwixt these excellent works and the dark crude performances
of he early photogaphers will show at once what immense stride has been
made in Edinburgh within the last few years." [Evening News:
24 December 1859].
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PSS
Exhibitions
in D R Hay's Fine Art Saloon
Some
of the PSS Exhibitions were staged in
D R Hay's Fine Art Saloon at 90 George Street. These rooms belonged to
David Ramsay Hay until 1847 then to DR Hay & Co until
1866. David Ramsay Hay and his company were decorative painter to
the Queen.
D R Hay appears not to have been related to G & D
Hay?
[Muriel
Atkinson]
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Hay
& Henderson
From
around 1857, for about ten years, G&D Hay shared a studio with James
Henderson. There was a close connection between the two
families.
Muriel
Atkinson, now living in Canada, is great-granddaughter of David Syme
Hay. She tells me that:
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G&D Hay and James Henderson were related
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her
Grandmother was baptised Janetta Henderson Hay in 1868
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Janetta's
Grandmother was Janet Henderson.
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Studios
Mr
Hay (was it George or David?), in a discussion about studios in on 14
October 1868, spoke in favour of
"abundance
of light and plenty of room where it was to be got."
He
referred to his brother's studio in Regent-street, "which
allowed a clear north or south light in great quantity, an exposure of
five seconds being sufficient."
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1
Thank you to
Maureen Atkinson, Canada great-granddaughter
of David Syme Hay, for sending me the following details.
Maureen wrote::
"David Syme Hay lived for several years at his mother-in-law's house at 32
Bath Street, Portobello. His first three children were born there.
He appears to have had a studio at this address.
I
can find no reference to it in the trade directories, though I have seen a
carte de visite. The subject was on a seated on a horse and wearing
at top hat.
David Syme Hay
left this address and moved to 7 Grange Road in 1866.
He may well have known and encouraged
Kyles & Law who worked as photographers from 33
Bath Street from 1865 or 1866
Kyles & Law was the first of
several photographic partnerships based at 33
and 34 Bath Street,
Portobello, over a period of about a thirty years, beginning in the mid-1860s.
2
Thank you to Archie
Foley, Joppa, Edinburgh, for sending me an image of the back of one of
David Syme Hay's cartes de visite. The photo is dated 1865 and
photographer described himself as:
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D S Hay
Artist
32 Bath Street
Portobello
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Thank you to Archie
for also giving me this background information about David Syme Hay at
Portobello:
Archie wrote:
"David S Hay
was listed as a Lodger at 2 Albany Street, Edinburgh at the 1861 Census,
but when he married Isabella Gourlay on 12th August 1862 his usual
residence was given as Towerbank House, Portobello.
The couple then
lived with his mother-in-law, who was a widow, at 32 Bath Street, as you
have noted on the web site. It would be good to find evidence as to
when he began to use that address as a studio."
Archie also told me
that David Syme Hay and his brother, George, both came from Montrose,
Angus, Scotland.
I have not found any
evidence to show when David S Hay opened his studio at 32 Bath Street.
I've not found his studio mentioned in any of the old trade directories,
and have only seen two cartes de visite by David S Hay. Both have
the same date written on the back: 1865.
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Death
of David Syme Hay
and
George Heron Hay moves to London
David Hay died at the early age of 46, though his business remained listed
in the trade directories for two or three years after his death.
None of his David's surviving sons was old enough to take over the
business.
After
David Hay's death, George Heron Hay moved to London, and is recorded as
Artist
in Westminster in the 1881 census. [Des:MA]
G H Hay had a studio at 191 Regent St, London W from 1865 until 1870
according to Michael Pritchard's book, 'A Directory of London
Photographers 1841-1908.
Thank you to Victorian Image Collection for
providing this information and sending me a copy of a 'Hay' carte de
visite from the studio at 191 Regent Street.
- Peter Stubbs, August 15,
2006
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