George Washington Wilson

From the world's foremost authority on George Washington Wilson comes the definitive account of one of Scotland's leading innovators of the Victorian era. Complete with 3-D stereo images and a complimentary 3-D viewer, Roger Taylor presents a stunning view into the life and work of this singular artist.

After beginning his career painting portrait miniatures, George Washington Wilson discovered the newly emerging art form of photography, and soon began making a name for himself with his photographic portraiture. Spurred on by a growing public interest in stereoscopy, Wilson created a thriving enterprise selling beautifully crafted stereo cards of Scottish landscapes to visiting tourists. As his reputation grew, he began to attract the attention of some high-profile patrons. Prince Albert commissioned him to photograph the construction of Balmoral Castle, and he also captured many historic portraits of Queen Victoria, who would later honor him with the title "Photographer to the Queen."

Roger Taylor has spent his entire professional life working with photography, initially as a commercial and industrial photographer before moving into teaching the Fine Art course at Sheffield College of Art during the 1960's. It was here that he became fascinated by the history of the medium and began his research into George Washington Wilson whilst studying for his Masters Degree in Victorian Studies at Leicester University. His commitment to photographic history led to his appointment at the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television in Bradford, where he was responsible for the installation of a new Kodak Museum, which opened in 1989. Seven years later, he took early retirement to pursue his researches into mid-Victorian photography, specializing in the emergence of early processes in Britain 1839-1865. Following a number of research fellowships within major collections in Canada and America he was appointed as a Senior Research Fellow at De Montfort University, where he is now Professor Emeritus. In 2014 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Derby in recognition of his significant contributions to photographic history.

Brian May, founder, member, songwriter and guitarist with the rock band Queen, and co-creator of the internationally successful rock theatrical, We Will Rock You, is also a Doctor of Astrophysics, a leading campaigner for animal rights, and a lifelong 3-D photography enthusiast. Most recently, he has become a successful publisher, dedicated to sharing his vast collection of Victorian stereo photographs with the world through the books released by The London Stereoscopic Company (a fond recreation of the highly successful company of the same name founded in 1854). Brian currently tours with Queen for much of the year with Adam Lambert as lead vocalist, as well as composing, recording and performing in collaboration with West End star Kerry Ellis, an original luminary of the cast of We Will Rock You. His many other recent projects include working on 3-D 360-degree virtual reality movies, and the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody, the award-winning biopic of Freddie Mercury. Brian lives in London with his wife, his partner for over thirty years, actress Anita Dobson.

George Washington Wilson was one of Scotland's leading photographer in Victorian times, particularly in the art of stereo photography. He began his career as a portrait miniature painter, but in the late 1840s was an early adopter of photography, and started offering his clients photographic portraits. Prince Albert commissioned him to photograph the the construction of Balmoral Castle, and he also captured many historic portraits of Queen Victoria and family at Balmoral. Queen Victoria honoured him by appointing him Photographer to the Queen. Based in Aberdeen, he made a thriving business printing and selling stereo cards of tourist attractions from Fingal's Cave on the remote Island of Staffa to London's busiest thoroughfare, Oxford Street. In this book Roger Taylor, the world authority on Wilson, captures the essence of the man and presents a glorious gallery of his work in colour, with many 3-D stereo cards which can be viewed with the complimentary viewer included in the back of the book. Dr Brian May designed and manufactured the OWL stereo viewer, provided many of the stereo photographs from his extensive archive, and wrote the Foreword to the book.

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