Archibald Burns (photographer) facts for kids
Archibald Burns (born 1831, died 1880) was a Scottish photographer. He worked in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 1858 to 1880. Burns took many pictures of the city. He published them in different books. He also photographed old buildings in a part of Edinburgh that was being changed in the 1860s. His photos are now an important record of how the city used to look.
Contents
Life as a Photographer
Archibald Burns started photography as a hobby in the 1850s. He joined the Photographic Society of Scotland in 1858. Later, in 1861, he became one of the first members of the Edinburgh Photographic Society.
Burns mostly took pictures of landscapes and buildings. He saw that more tourists wanted books with photos. So, he started selling his pictures to these new visitors in the late 1800s.
Burns' Photography Studios
Burns opened his first professional photography studio at 22 Calton Stairs. He worked there from 1861 to 1871. After that, he moved his business to a place called Rock House. He stayed there until 1880.
For a short time in 1870 and 1871, Burns shared Rock House with another photographer, Thomas Annan, from Glasgow. Rock House was famous because it had been the studio of very important Scottish photographers, Hill & Adamson, before Burns.
Archibald Burns passed away in 1880. He was buried at Warriston Cemetery. After he died, all the items from his studio, like his cameras and photos, were sold.
What Burns Photographed
Archibald Burns was known as a landscape photographer. He sold many different types of his photos. These included single prints, stereographs (which made pictures look 3D), cabinet cards (small photos on thick card), and magic lantern slides (used for projecting images). All these showed views of Edinburgh and the areas around it.
Documenting Old Edinburgh
Burns helped illustrate two books about Edinburgh in 1868. This was a few years before he took a special series of photos in 1871. These later photos were of narrow alleyways and courtyards, known as "closes" and "wynds," for the Edinburgh Improvement Trust.
One of his books, Picturesque "Bits" from Old Edinburgh (published in 1868), talked about Scotland's old buildings. It explained how important photography was for saving the look of old building styles that were disappearing. This book included 15 of Burns' own photos.
The Edinburgh Improvement Trust hired Burns in 1871. They wanted him to photograph buildings that were being torn down or were already ruined. These buildings were in an area between the Cowgate and Chambers Street. He took 26 photos that are now a very important historical record of that part of the city.
Unlike the photos taken by Thomas Annan in Glasgow, Burns' pictures of Edinburgh's closes and wynds showed the area as ruined buildings. There were no people in his photos.
List of Publications
- Ballantyne, R. M and Archibald Burns. Photographs of Edinburgh with descriptive letterpress. Glasgow: Andrew Duthie, 1867.
- Burns, Archibald, and Thomas Henderson. Picturesque "Bits" from Old Edinburgh: A Series of Photographs by Archibald Burns; with descriptive and historical notes by Thomas Henderson. Edmonston and Douglas, 1868.
- Ramsay, Allan. The Gentle Shepherd: A Pastoral Comedy, with numerous illustrations. Edinburgh: A. & C. Black, 1868.
- Burns, Archibald. Photographic Views. n.p, [1860s].
Images for kids
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Reproduction of photograph by Burns titled 'Timber Fronted House, Cowgate' in Edinburgh
