Professional Photographer and Exhibitor

Andrew Swan Watson

FRPS

Early Photography

Andrew Swan Watson, photographer and portrait painter, served his apprenticeship with Marshall Wane and gained a reputation for his cloud pictures and transparencies. Some of these, showing clouds over the sea, are in the National Portrait Gallery collection. Titles include:

- “Silently the shades of evening fall”

- “The last faint beam is fading

- "On yonder dark blue deep”

At the time of his apprenticeship, William Crooke was Operator in the studio.

Exhibitions

In common with Marshall Wane, Andrew Swan Watson entered his photographs in exhibitions. He won awards from Crystal Palace, Dundee, Edinburgh, London, Ireland and Vienna.

In 1890 EPS exhibition, he exhibited:

- silver print "Evening Studies"

- silver print "In the Soft Evening when the Wind is Stilled"

- several platinotype landscapes

- one carbon transparency

On 1 October 1926, Swan Watson, then President of the Edinburgh Professional Photographers' Society, was congratulated for having won the Professional Photographers' Association Gold Medal for his portrait of Lord Sands at the Society's All British Professional Exhibition

[BJP 1926, p159]

He was also a respected judge of photographic exhibitions.

Studio

A Swan Watson then started his own business, having acquired Viewpark Art Studios at Bruntsfield from the late George Shaw.

From these studios he produced work in silver, carbon and platinotype. 'View Park Art Studios' had eighteen apartments on a single floor.

“There was a reception room in the form of a gallery forty feet long by twenty-four feet wide, from which led a wide passage, ninety feet long with twelve windows, each fitted with transparencies of cloud pictures, landscapes, seascapes and portraits.

A second studio in the premises was used for group pictures and for all kinds of exterior effects. When visited in 1892, a third studio was fitted with a boat and sail, water and imitation rocks. The grounds were used for equestrian and other photographs.”

[BJP1892: p613]

Andrew Swan Watson was based at this studio for about 40 years. The business continued, after his death, until 1958.

FRPS

Andrew Swan Watson was awarded his FRPS in 1925 or 1926. At the time he was President of the Edinburgh Society of Professional Photographers. The Society congratulated him on his 'FRPS' at their Meeting on 1 February 1926.
[BJP 1926, p159]

Andrew Swan Watson also became an Honorary Life Member of the Photographers' Association of America.

Other Interests

Andrew Swan Watson was an organist and choirmaster in Morningside Congregational Church.

He travelled extensively in France and Italy, and gave many lectures on Venice, the Vatican and the picture galleries of Europe.

[EPS: Obituary by AH Baird]