Ross & Pringle

Studios

James Ross entered into partnership with Thomas Pringle (1867-83). Ross & Pringle were Photographers to the Queen from 1876 until 1883.

Ross & Pringle	114 George Street	1867-75
Ross & Pringle	103 Princes Street	1876-83

Many of their cartes de visite were portraits of babies and young children, both with and without their parents.

Thank you to Geoff West who wrote:

114 George Street

"I have recently obtained from the University of Oregon, copies of two carte de visite of distant relatives from Edinburgh. One of them has printed on the back, Ross & Pringle, 114 George Street, Edinburgh.

The picture was of Harriet Fordyce Callander of Craigforth and Ardkinglas who was the wife of Capt William Menzies, who until his death in 1861, owned 114 George Street."

Geoff West: October 8, 2007

EPS Lecture

By 1868, Ross & Pringle appeared to already have one of the larger photographic businesses in Edinburgh. James Ross reported on his company's testing of the Grisdale washing machine, to a meeting of Edinburgh Photographic Society. He said:

"The machine ... did all that was claimed for it by the makers [but] for so large a business as ours the machine they had tried was found to be too light.

... for a small business, where rapidity was an object, this machine was just the thing, as by no other method that I know of could a set of prints be thoroughly washed in so short a space of time; in fact ...within half-an-hour".

EPS Annual Outing

In June 1877 (and other years) Edinburgh Photographic Society arranged a photographic outing to Almond Dell by decorated barge. Many of the Edinburgh professional photographers and their employees attended.

The British Journal of Photography gave an account of the outing, and made particular mention of the singing by Ross & Pringle employees:

"... as on previous occasions a number of employés of Messrs Ross & Pringle gave ample evidence that the encouragement so long given by the firm to vocal music is still continued."

[BJP: 20 July 1877; p.344]

Stock of Negatives

On the backs of some of his cabinet prints, John Lamb who was based at 101b Princes Street from1878 until 1900, advertised:

J Lamb, having the entire Stocks of Negatives
taken by the Firms of
BROWN, BARNES & BELL and J D SMITH
1 Hanover Street
AND ROSS & PRINGLE
103 Princes Street

Copies can be had in the Various Styles

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Other Ross Pages

Ross & Pringle