Tag Archives: historical photographs

Early photography in Edinburgh – the story told on film

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A little while ago we blogged about the first film in our Early Photography film series. We’ve now published all three short films in the trilogy. Take 15 minutes to discover Edinburgh’s significant part in the history of photography.

Film 1 describes the birth of photography in Edinburgh and the first photographic club in the world alongside the pioneering and world-renowned duo, Hill and Adamson.

Film 2 describes how photography was used as a tool to record social change and with the upsurge in tourism to Scotland, a means to earn a living.

Film 3 gives an account of how photography became available to the masses due to the Victorian craze for studio portraiture and the camera’s now fundamental role in family memento.

All images used to tell the early history of photography are taken from our collections here at Central Library.  And don’t forget you can find many more fantastic pictures from the past on Capital Collections, our online image library.

We hope you enjoy the show!

Early photography in Edinburgh

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Edinburgh Libraries have made 3 short films telling the story of Edinburgh’s major role in the development of photography. Here’s the first film in the series, entitled ‘Pioneering Artist Photographers’.

Visit Capital Collections to see many more images from our early photography collections including the online exhibitions:

World Heritage Day 2012

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April 18th is World Heritage Day –  a global celebration highlighting the significance of UNESCO World Heritage sites. Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns are one of five sites in Scotland officially recognised on Unesco’s World Heritage List.

There’s no better way to see how Edinburgh’s cultural and architectural landscape has changed than through images past and present on our own Capital Collections website.  A fascinating new online exhibition shows distinct changes in Edinburgh’s built environment. Step back into the 1960s and the 1990s with Dr Gordon Thompson’s record of Edinburgh.  Dr Thompson took photographs across the city in the 1960s and then returned some thirty years later to recapture the scene and his collections of images offer a unique and personal document of the city’s landscape.