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Archibald
Burns
©
Reproduced
by courtesy of National Galleries
of Scotland.
See Copyright Notice
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Archibald Burns
Professional
Photographer
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Archibald
Burns began as an amateur photographer
in the 1850s or earlier. He first appeared in the Edinburgh trade
directories as a professional photographer in 1867. His cartes de visite
advertised:
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"Copies
up to life size printed in silver or carbon
&
finished in oils or water colour."
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Landscape
and Urban Photographer
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From 1871, Archibald Burns was a landscape
photographer, based who worked from Rock House, which he shared initially with
the Annan family in 1871
He took 26 photographs for the Edinburgh
Improvement Trust, showing buildings in the old closes between the University
and Cowgate, photographed as they were about to be demolished.
He was paid £16 7s 0d for these photographs.
These photographs were published in a book entitled “Picturesque Bits
of Old Edinburgh.
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Stereo
Prints
©
Copyright:
For
permission to reproduce, please contact peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk
A
stereo pair of photographs by Archibald Burns, showing John Knox House in
the Royal Mile, running from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of
Holyrood. This scene looks very similar today. |
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Journals
In 1859, Archibald Burns sent some of his stereograms
to Photographic News, edited by William Crookes, in 1859.
The article in Photographic News said:
“If we are to take these stereograms as a fair average specimen of his
skill, -he deserves to take as high a rank among photographers as his celebrated
namesake among poets.”
[PNe:25/11/1859]
Some
examples of Burns' stereotype views of Edinburgh can be found in the Victoria
& Albert collection. Others
appear on this site
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Family
Archibald
Burns died, aged 49 on 29 January 1880, at Rock House in Edinburgh. He
was married to Janet Goss.
Father: Robert Burns, West Machan, Hamilton, Landed Proprietor
Stepfather: John Findlater
[Death
Certificate]
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