Antonia Laurence-Allen Phd Thesis Vol. 1
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CLASS, CONSUMPTION AND CURRENCY: COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN MID-VICTORIAN SCOTLAND Antonia Laurence-Allen A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2012 Full metadata for this item is available in Research@StAndrews:FullText at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3469 This item is protected by original copyright This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence Class, Consumption and Currency: Commercial Photography in Mid-Victorian Scotland Antonia Laurence-Allen A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2012 “Class, Consumption and Currency: Commercial Photography in Mid-Victorian Scotland” By Antonia Laurence-Allen A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2012 University of St Andrews Volume I of II: Text I, Antonia Laurence-Allen, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 75,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a candidate for the degree of PhD in the History of Photography in September, 2008. The higher study, for which this is a record, was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2008 and 2011. Date Signature of candidate I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the History of Photography in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date Signature of supervisor In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews I understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. I also understand that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. I have obtained any thirdparty copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: Embargo on both printed and electronic copies for the same fixed period of 2 years and permanent embargo of the electronic images on the following grounds: publication would preclude future publication; copyright issues. Date Signature of candidate Signature of supervisor Table of Contents Table of Contents i Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii List of Illustrations * iv Introduction 1 Section One: Setting the Scene 21 Chapter 1 : Exhibitions Frame the Scene 22 Chapter 2 : Photographers Travel onto the Scene 64 Section Two : Case Studies 110 Chapter 3 : Dundee Old and New 112 Chapter 4 : Lanarkshire’s Principal Places 156 Chapter 5 : Aberdeen Citizens 190 Conclusion 231 Bibliography 246 Unpublished Sources 247 Published Books 249 Pre-1900 Journal and Newspaper Articles 261 Post-1900 Journal and Newspaper Articles 268 Web Pages 271 *NB : Images are in a separate volume. i Abstract This thesis examines a thirty year span in the history of Scottish photography, focusing on the rise of the commercial studio from 1851 to assess how images were produced and consumed by the middle class in the mid-Victorian period. Using extensive archival material and a range of theoretical approaches, the research explores how photography was displayed, circulated, exploited and discussed in Scotland during its nascent years as a commodity. In doing so, it is unlike previous studies on Scottish photography that have not attended to the history of the medium as it is seen through exhibitions or the national journals, but instead have concentrated on explicating how an individual photographer or singular set of images are evidence of excellence in the field. While this thesis pays close attention to individual projects and studios, it does so to illuminate how photography functioned as a material object that equally shaped and was shaped by ideological constructs peculiar to mid-Victorian life in Scotland. It does not highlight particular photographers or works in order to elevate their standing in the history of photography but, rather, to show how they can be used as examples of a class phenomenon and provide an analytical frame for elucidating the cultural impact of commercial photography. Therefore, while the first two chapters provide a panoramic view of how photography was introduced to the Scottish middle class and how commercial photographers initially visualized Scotland, the second section is comprised of three ‘case studies’ that show how the subject of the city, the landscape and the portrait were turned into objects of cultural consumption. This allows for a re-appraisal of photographs produced in Scotland during this era to suggest the impact of photography’s products and processes was as vital as its visual content. ii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I wish to express utmost thanks to the many librarians in local institutions across Scotland for their help accessing archival data. Their interest in my work and willingness to provide their time has made an indelible mark on this project. My thanks also extends to my supervisor Tom Normand, whose faith in my abilities has driven me forward, and to the faculty at the School of Art History at University of St Andrews, whose support helped me acquire the funding and resources that have allowed me to enjoy this research and writing. Finally, deep gratitude is proffered to my closest friends and relatives, who have read and reviewed my writing, listened to my thoughts and ideas and inspired me. Thank you. iii List of Illustrations Section One – Setting the Scene Chapter One: Exhibitions Frame the Scene 1. Roger Fenton. Pittville Spa, Cheltenham , 1852. Salted paper print. George Eastman House, Rochester, NY. 2. Philip Henry Delamotte. Kenilworth Castle , c. 1852. Albumen print from collodion negative. Swansea Museum and Library, Swansea, UK. 3. Sir William J. Newton. Burnham Beeches , c. 1850. Calotype. Royal Photographic Society, London, UK. 4. James Valentine. George William Fox Kinnaird of Rossie , 1863. Carte de visite. National Portrait Gallery, London, UK. 5. John Dillwyn Llewelyn. Sea Shore , South Wales c. 1853. Calotype. Swansea Museum and Library, Swansea, UK. 6. John Dillwyn Llewelyn. Inside Rock Cave, Dunraven , c. 1853. Salted paper print. George Eastman House, Rochester, NY. 7. Philip Henry Delamotte. Brinkburn Priory , c. 1853. Albumen print from collodion negative. Swansea Museum and Library, Swansea, UK. 8. James Ross and John Thomson. Edinburgh from the Castle , c. 1850. Albumen print. National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. 9. George Washington Wilson. Brig O’Balgownie , c. 1853. Modern print from collodion negative. University of Aberdeen Special Collections, Aberdeen, UK. 10. George Washington Wilson. Bridge of Don , c. 1854. Modern print from collodion negative. University of Aberdeen Special Collections, Aberdeen, UK. 11. George Washington Wilson. A Weeping Birch above Braemar , c. 1855. Modern print from collodion negative. University of Aberdeen Special Collections, Aberdeen, UK. 12. George Washington Wilson. Fall of the Garrvalt, Braemar , c.1855. Modern print from collodion negative. University of Aberdeen Special Collections, Aberdeen, UK. 13. Roger Fenton. Rosyln Chapel , 1856. Salted paper print. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. iv 14. Horatio Ross. The Scottish Highlands , 1850-59. Albumen print. Image from website “ArtNet.” 15. Horatio Ross. Dead Stag , c. 1856. Salted paper print. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. 16. George Washington Wilson. Rubislaw Granite Quarries , c. 1855. Modern print from collodion negative. University of Aberdeen Special Collections, Aberdeen, UK. 17. Frederick Scott Archer. Kenilworth Castle , c. 1854. Albumen print from collodion negative. Image from website “the scream online.” 18. James Good Tunny. Edinburgh from Calton Hill , c. 1854. Albumen print from collodion negative. Edinburgh City Libraries Museums and Galleries, Edinburgh, UK. 19. Thomas Rodger. A Caricature (Thomas Rodger [Snr.] and Eduard Remenyi), 1855. Paper print. University of St Andrews Library Special Collections, St Andrews, UK. 20. George Berwick and Thomas Annan. Glasgow Observatory, c. 1854-5. Albumen print from collodion negative. University of Glasgow, Department of Astrophysics, Glasgow, UK. 21. George Washington Wilson. Aberdeen Citizens, Portrait Group One , 1857. Photo montage paper print. Aberdeen Museums and Galleries, Aberdeen, UK. 22. James Valentine. Self Portrait , c. 1855. Carte de visite. University of St Andrews Special Collections, St Andrews, UK. Chapter Two: Photographers Travel onto the Scene. 1. David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson. St Andrews, North Street, Fishergate, Women and Children Baiting the Line , c. 1845. Calotype. National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. 2. George Washington Wilson. Lower Fall of Foyers , c.1860. Modern print from collodion negative. University of Aberdeen Special Collections, Aberdeen, UK. 3. George Washington Wilson. Staffa inside Fingal’s Cave , c.1860 Modern print from collodion negative. University of Aberdeen Special Collections, Aberdeen, UK. 4. John Cramb. Jerusalem from the Road to Bethany, no. 1 . From the album Jerusalem in 1860: A Series of Photographic Views, 1860. Albumen print. National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. 5. Horatio Ross. Stag Hunting [Ned and Colin Ross with Hunt Trophy], c. 1857. Albumen print. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. v Section Two – Case Studies Chapter Three: Dundee Old and New 1.