Cramb Brothers, 67 West Nile St., 1859 - 1875

In the second cdv above, The elegant Mr. Naylor would have posed in the early of 1860s. This is suggested by the thin, square cornered card, the studio props, and the relatively straight brimmed tall top hat- in later years the brim was more curved. The card must post date the medallions on the back, which refer to awards in 1862. The faint round corner inner border shows that the cdv has been inserted into an album. The first card , without the medallions, probably pre-dates it by a year or so.

The cards below show opportunistic productions by the brothers. Mrs. Taylor was murdered by her son-in-law Dr. Pritchard in 1865, and he became the last person to be publicly executed in Glasgow, in the same year, an event attended by 'tens of thousands'. The Crambs must previously have photographed the principals, and on the occasion of the notorious event, rushed out perhaps hundreds of these photos on pre-printed cards to satisfy the public interest.

The cdv below, with the unusual horizontal format, must be later than 1867 - the date of the award mentioned on the back - but probably still in the 1860s. It is thinner than the card of Mrs Taylor above, which is dated earlier. Unusually also, the earlier use of graphics has been discontinued.