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Edinburgh Photographer
William Swanston
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William Swanston was listed in the Edinburgh & Leith trade directories,
having a studios at 302 Leith Walk, from 1896 until 1930.
I knew nothing more about this photographer until Maggie
Dunlop e-mailed me in February 2006. Maggie tells me that William
Swanston was her great-grandfather's nephew.
Maggie wrote: |
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Childhood
"William Swanston born on 8 January 1857 in Earlston in
the Scottish Borders. He was the illegitimate son of Isabella
Swanston and Wm Moffat
(Mason
Foreman)
whom she later married.
William
was brought up by his grandparents, (my
gt-gt-grandparents)
David Swanston and
Charlotte Thorburn,
in
Earlston." |
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Pipe
Maker then Photographer
"In 1881 he
was living in Leith, working as a lead pipe maker when he married Helen
Sutherland who was born in Australia (Hobart, Tasmania). They had 4
children.
The 1891 Census
shows him still working as a lead pipe maker but around the mid 1890s he
was a Professional Photographer with a business at 302 Leith Walk.
In 1901 he is
shown as a Photographer and his son John Alexander Swanston then 17 had
joined him as a photographer. His other son William Henderson Swanston
aged 19 is shown as a Photo Mech. in Aberdeen."
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UPDATE
Thank you to Dr Janda Goodling, Senior Curator of
Art, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT, Australia who wrote:
"I had been
searching for information about a photographer - W H Swanston - who worked
with the Australians on Gallipoli in 1919 and today found William
Henderson Swanston mentioned on your site!! I knew he was most likely from
Scotland so what a terrific match up!
The Australian War Memorial has a great many
photographs by William Henderson Swanston in its collection."
Dr Janda Goodling, Canberra, ACT,
Australia: September 19, 2008 |
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William's Death
"William
died 5 September 1921 age from cancer of the pancreas.
I don’t
know if either son carried on for any length of time in the Photography
field. The Edinburgh & Leith PO Directory 1950/51 Page 478 shows a Miss E
M Swanston at 302 Leith Walk but I don't know if it was still a
Photographers or if she was simply living in a flat there. The actual
street index in the directory doesn't give anything for no 302." |
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Maggie Dunlop, near Selkirk, Borders,
Scotland: February 22, 2007 |
Ivan
Szabo
Photographs of Talbot |
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Talbot: “Hair Down, Collar Up”
Talbot: “Hair
Up, Collar Down"
©
Both
photos reproduced from the National Museum of Photography
Film, and Television
by courtesy of the Science and Society Picture
Library. Click here for
link to web site. |
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