Brain Food

Wiiliam Carrick, A Chimney Sweep, 1860’s, Russia

William was the son of a prosperous Scottish timber merchant in Krondstadt, who retained close links with Scotland. William’s mother, Jessie Lauder, gave birth to him in Edinburgh on New Year’s Eve 1827,  however he was taken to Russia a few months later where he grew up. He studied painting at the Russian Imperial Academy and in Rome.

On one of his visits to Edinburgh, the young Carrick took lessons in photography from James Good Tunny, a leading portrait photographer. In 1859, Carrick opened one of the first photographic studios in St Petersburg. The photographs that resulted provide an invaluable record of life in Imperial Russia.

source