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Thursday, November 3, 2022

Jovial Scots in 1844


This remarkable photo was made in Edinburgh in 1844.  It shows Scotsmen 
David Octavius, John Ballantine, and Dr. George Bell enjoying a wee drinkie or three.  
They look amazingly natural, and one gets the feeling that they were close friends.
I would love to have known these guys.  "Scots, wha hae . . . "

 

2 comments:

  1. That is quite a remarkable photograph in a social and psychological sense rather than as an example of an emerging technology. I have never, ever seen so relaxed and informal subjects in a photograph so early. Up until perhaps the 1920s or even '30s, the stilted, formal and self-conscious poses of the subjects are constant to the point of custom. These three seem completely undaunted by the camera and are captured as a true "still life" in that they actually look alive. All the more remarkable when one considers the extremely formal nature of Scottish society at that time.

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    1. You sum it up pretty well, Julian. Maybe the alcohol helped loosen them up, lol.

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