Status/Occupations, etc of Ca 1880 Scottish album from Bowie family

[Busy B]

We have an album of Scottish relations descended from my ggggrandfather James Bowie who left Scotland around 1880 to come to U.S. He was born in 1851 and supposed came from the"Moray" area. Family notes say he had been married to a Jessie in Scotland and that he had been in the Scotland Yard. We do not know who his parents were.

Sadly, the photos were never identified, so we don't know who they are. Hoping to connect with a Scottish Bowie cousin that might recognize some of them.

Would love any input on their fashion styles or perhaps occupations the men might have from their accessories or clothing? Anything that might point to who they might have been that I could cross check against census occupations in counties where the photos were taken. A Scottish friend thought beret type hat on one of the young men looked like a sailor? Many of them look too well dressed and coiffed to have worked hard labor jobs such as farming or mining.

I have a blog with all my info on my James Bowie, along with all the photos from the album at http://busybeetraveler.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/james-frank-bowie-1851-1930-scottish-immigrant/.

Look forward to hearing any input!

[Treetotal]

Lovely photos but can't help with dates but this will bring it back up the board for the daters.
Carol

[Ruskie]

You are so lucky to have so many lovely family photos. The experts will be along soon to date these for you but I just wanted to comment that Scotland Yard is in London and is the headquarters for the police. Not sure if this is what you are referring to.

Have you asked for help tracing your Bowie family? You should start a new thread on the Scotland board if you would like some help - give details of everything you know about the family and provide a link to this thread with the photos, as I'm sure everyone will be inspired to search for them if they have some (probable) faces to put to the names.

Just to add that I don't think the chap wearing the beret looks very nautical at all, but I may be wrong.

I expect the families were fairly well to do - most of them (some more than others  ) have a well to do look about them. 

PS, try googling the photographers - there is some information about them online.

[jim1]

Can't date them all individually as there are too many.
Most are early-mid 1870's with a couple or more mid-late 1870's.
The last 2 early 1880's.
missed one I think is no. 6 late 1860's.
The chap next to her wearing the tam o' shanter also looks 1860's.

he had been in the Scotland Yard

Scotland Yard is the Metropolitan Police Service in London.
notice some are holding books indicating literacy & 1 is holding an 1850's Ambrotype.

[macintosh]

The "beret" is a Tam O Shanter or a Balmoral bonnet, not Nautical headwear.
Such a treasure of photographs.

James

[Skoosh]

Hard to tell social position from old pic's, the furniture is in an artists studio and as getting your "photy" taken was a bit of an event, they dressed up for the occasion, a wedding ditto. They're obviously well turned out, so not skint.

Skoosh.

[Rudolf H B]

Bowie by Howie!

Congratulations
Rudolf

[Skoosh]

The hats (if you want to get ahead get a hat!) look a bit dodgy, were they studio props like the books & walking canes? the bairns (it is Edinburgh, it would be weans in Glasgow) look genuine enough though.

I'm sure the next generation of Bowie's would be knotting themselves looking at the album.

Skoosh..

[Ruskie]

Fifth row down - the couple each holding a baby (possibly one male and one female) ....
I keep coming back to this one - possibly am wrong (probably/hopefully) but ....
that's not a post mortem photo is it?
Or are the babies sleeping?