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Portrait of Firemaster Braidwood
Unknown, 1845, Photograph
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Portrait of Firemaster Braidwood
Portrait of Firemaster Braidwood
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Item no
21208
Title
Portrait of Firemaster Braidwood
Description
A head and shoulders portrait of James Braidwood, Firemaster of Edinburgh Fire Brigade. He is not directly looking at the camera, but facing slightly to his right. He has a high forehead and long sideburns. He is wearing a double breasted jacket and a winged collar with a velvet band.
Artist / maker
Unknown
Date
1845
Type
Photograph
This image is from the collections of the
Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage
, formerly the Museum of Fire at Lauriston Place.
James Braidwood was born in Edinburgh on 3rd September 1800 and was educated at the Royal High school. Having trained as a quantity surveyor, he joined his father's business. At the age of 24 and with no experience, James Braidwood was appointed Firemaster, or Master of Engines.
Braidwood had to deal with the Great Fire of Edinburgh during the first year after his appointment. The fire was devastating and the fire service could do little to halt the spread of the fire. Braidwood used the fire though as impetus to organise the service; dividing the city into districts and thoroughly training the men. He developed pioneering fire fighting methods and published a book on the subject in 1830 - "On the construction of fire engines and apparatus, the training of firemen, and the method of proceeding in cases of fire". After the publication of this revolutionary book he became widely known and in 1832, he was offered a post by London City Council.
Little is known of his private life. James Braidwood died, aged 61, in the great Tooley Street fire in London. Thousands of people lined the streets to watch his funeral procession. A statue of James Braidwood was erected in Parliament Square, Edinburgh on the 5th September 2008.
Exhibitions with this item
Whose Town? Arthur Pordage
Museum of Fire Collections
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