George Bell, 57 Argyle St., 1870 - 1892

The use of a curled tape to enclose the name and address of the practitioner started in the late 1860s, so the reverse design above could come from the earliest years at this address. However others, such as Murray, used the same design into the 1880s, so the date is uncertain. The second cdv above can be attributed to the mid 1870s on the basis of the multiple font diagonal text on the back, though the full length framing was losing ground at that time.

The two cdvs below include a Rothesay address, but the only information presently known for Bell's presence there is that he was there by 1876, but possibly not before 1874, and probably after 1878, but not after 1882. The first is a photograph of a photograph, ie, the original print has been trimmed to suit the oval mask, and then attached and re-photographed. The Rothesay address seems to be an addition to an existing design, so is probably from the first year or two there. The style of the back, and the leaning pose in the second suggest a date in the late 1870s.

The two cdvs below show minor variations of the above - the red line round the front in the first, the identification of Rothesay as the principal address on the back of the second. Perhaps this one came from the Rothesay studio, though both put Rothesay first on the front! The card backing for both of these was supplied by Oborne of London and Paris, shown by the small print at the bottom.

The design of the first cdv below is also found with the printer's name, George Mason & Co., Glasgow at the bottom. No Mason cards are known before 1880, so this example is probably within a year of that date. The second cdv below of a similar design and on a Mason card, does not carry the Rothesay address, so on the evidence we have should be dated to a year or so after 1882, and indeed an example is known from 1883.

The card above shows Bell has now left Rothesay, and is helpfully dated 1881, which is in agreement with the limits stated above. The diagonal design and the designs above and below must both have been available for a period.

The cabinet card below has a similar, but not identical design to the cdv above, and is trimmed at the bottom. However, the Mason name is still visible, dating it again to the early to mid 1880s.

The severe faced young lady on the first cdv below is on a classic 'cream and gold' card which must have been produced in the mid to late 1880s - it has a gilt but square edge.The gentleman on the second cdv below, which has a chamfered and hence later edge, has helpfully written on the back 'Sincerely yours M Marshall 24/9/89'