UNDATED – Portrait of an unknown gentleman, taken in Scotland. © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com/Photo: James McKnaught
The story behind the image
Here is a cabinet photo that I purchased as part of the Schuetze-Osswald lot last year. Sadly, there is no information whatsoever concerning the gentleman shown. It is not even clear whether there are any relations to the Schuetze/Osswald family at all.
The photographer was McKnaught & Son, and the imprint mentions two studios that were operated by James McKnaught and his son in Scotland: one in Peebles, and the other in Wigtown N.B. A short research shows that the studio in Peebles was located in 31 High Street. The Wigtown studio was located in Agnew Crescent.
I really like the vibrant elegance of this (presumably) Scottish gentleman. The words stylish, serious, confident, educated, aristocatic come to my mind. For me, it’s easy to imagine him as a successful lawyer or merchant.
For you enthusiasts of historic images, here’s a 1:1 comparison between the unedited, color-calibrated cabinet photo and its digitally re-mastered version:
Design ideas
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | c. 1900 |
| Photographer | James McKnaught & Son |
| Location | Scotland |
| Image Source | 9.8 x 13.7 cm black & white albumen print mounted on cardboard |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 8652 x 10705 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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