Castle Street Looking East

Photographer George Washington Wilson (Alvah, Banffshire, Scotland, 1823 - 1893)

Date1860s

Object NamePhotograph

Mediumalbumen

ClassificationsScience And Technology

Dimensions11 x 16.6cm

AcquisitionPurchased in 1987 with assistance from the National Fund for Acquisitions, the National Art Collections Fund, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and with income from the Ramsay-Dyce Bequest.

CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0

LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub

Object numberABDMS022551

Keywords

About MeThis photograph was taken by the great Victorian photographer George Washington Wilson. Although he came from Banffshire he spent most of his life in Aberdeen. It was here that he processed and manufactured the many hundreds of thousands of photographs which he sold throughout Britain. Here he captures the granite statue which was such an important product of the city's granite industry. It was cut by hand from a single piece of Dancing Cairns granite in the yard of Alexander MacDonald and was unveiled to the public in 1843. This was probably the first piece of modern granite statuary cut in Britain. It strengthened the reputation of Aberdeen's growing granite industry, highlighting what could be done with the hard stone. In the background stands the city's Market Cross The cannon to the left was a piece from the Crimean War.