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History
George Washington Wilson (1823-1893) was born in Banffshire, Scotland. A pioneering Scottish photographer, Wilson studied art in Edinburgh and London and began his career as a portrait miniaturist in 1849, opening an office in Aberdeen. He switched to portrait photography in 1852, his clients included Queen Victoria and the Royal Family when they visited Balmoral. He was officially appointed Photographer Royal for Scotland in 1860. By the 1860s, Wilson was developing techniques for outdoor photography and mass-produced stereoscopic prints and was increasingly moving from portraiture to topographical/landscape photography. Wilson won a number of awards for his photographic works including winning medals at the 1862 Great London International Exhibition for his experimentation for quick exposures.
Under the name of George Washington Wilson and Company, Wilson and a staff of photographers, including his sons Charles, Louis, and John, captured images from all over Britain, as well as in Africia, Australia, mainland Europe. By the 1880s, Wilson’s company had become the best-known photographic and printing firm in Scotland and one of the largest in the world. Wilson handed his business over to his sons in 1888, who in turn sold much of the company in 1905. The company ceased in 1908.