Edinburgh Photographic Society was established in 1899, and over the early years of the 20th century created a collection of photographs of streets and buildings of Edinburgh.
The images in this exhibition feature Ward XIV (George Square) most of the photos were taken between 1912 and 1914, though there were some earlier images collected, but not taken, by the EPS Survey Group members.
2 copies of each photograph were created, one to be given to the City of Edinburgh and one to be retained by the Edinburgh Photographic Society.
George Square ward covered quite an area, from the Union Canal and Tollcross, to the Grassmarket, through the streets of the South Side skirting the Meadows and continuing the loop along Leven Street.
Members who were interested in taking part in the survey, were each given a section of the area to photograph. Some of the more well-known areas of Greyfriars Church and Heriots Hospital were methodically recorded. Sometimes as was noted in one of the Society's magazines, the members were given some information about areas that were soon to be no more. Of the Summerhall area it was noted that,
"It having come to the knowledge of some of the workers that the old buildings in this district were to be pulled down, a number foregathered at and made the necessary records of the place".
In the two years that the survey took to be photographed, although the members seemed to be very enthusiastic participants, like all things sometimes a bit of an incentive was needed to move things on. This notice appeared in a later Society magazine:
"The survey Section continues to make progress, a large number of records having been taken. To further encourage the work of this section, however, the Council have, with the approval of Mr Hippolyte J. Blanc, resolved to offer three prizes of £1, 1s. each from the Blanc Prize Fund for the best contribution of work in the Survey Section done during the year prior to the next Members' Exhibition, and which will be judged by the Survey Section Committee, who will not be competitors. It is hoped by this time next year, through the energies of an enlarged Committee, to complete the photographic records of the George Square Ward of the city".
The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries