b. 7 Feb 1823; d. 9 March 1893
George Washington Wilson was born in Scotland, and was one of the early royal photographers.
In 1849 he set up business as a portrait miniaturist; a brave feat at a time when photography was becoming an ever-increasing challenge offering cheaper pictures and becoming fashionable. After a while he began a short partnership with John Hay, setting up a portrait studio.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were keen on photography, and commissioned the partners to document the building of Balmoral, their new highland home, from 1853 onwards. Thus began a long association with the Royal Family, and in 1868 Wilson illustrated one of the Queen's "Leaves from the Journal or our Life in the Highlands." In 1873 he was awarded a royal warrant.
His fame spread widely,
and in 1864 claimed to have sold over half a million prints. He was the
photographer whose photographs were first sold in Cabinet
size.
In 1876 Wilson built new premises, perhaps the first to mass-produce photographs.
This large firm rivalled that of Frith over the
border. He also produced a number of Stereoscopic
pictures, notable for the fact that the exposures were very short - less
than one second.
By the
1880s his was one of the largest photographic publishers in the world.
He employed over thirty assistants in his Aberdeen firm, and was particularly
keen to ensure that his prints were carefully washed and gold-toned, so
as to remove all residual chemicals. As a result, Wilson's albumen prints
were more stable than others made in the same era.
© Robert Leggat, 1999.