Thomas Brumby Johnston FRSE FRGS FSA (1814-1897) was a 19th-century Scottish geographer, cartographer, antiquary and pioneer photographer. In later life he served as the official Geographer to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

Life

Johnston was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

on 28 January 1814, the son of Alexander Johnston and his wife Isabel Keith. His older brother was Alexander Keith Johnston and in later life he went into partnership with him in printing atlases. In 1856 he was a founding member of the Photographic Society of Scotland and served as the society's secretary 1862 to 1865. He exhibited at least 14 photographs to the society on a mix of

collodion Collodion is a flammable, syrupy solution of nitrocellulose in ether and alcohol. There are two basic types: flexible and non-flexible. The flexible type is often used as a surgical dressing or to hold dressings in place. When painted on the skin, ...

and waxed paper prints. Subject matter ranged from

James Hogg James Hogg (1770 – 21 November 1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a friend of many ...

’s wife to

Kinghorn Kinghorn (; gd, Ceann Gronna) is a town and parish in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, opposite Edinburgh. Accordin ...

harbour and

Doune Castle Doune Castle is a medieval stronghold near the village of Doune, in the Stirling council area of central Scotland and the historic county of Perthshire. The castle is sited on a wooded bend where the Ardoch Burn flows into the River Teith. It ...

. In 1867 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This socie ...

, his proposer being Sir David Brewster. He spent his later life at 9 Claremont Crescent on the eastern fringe of Edinburgh's Second New Town.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1896-7 He died on 2 September 1897.

Family

In 1843 he married Jane Ruddiman. Their daughter was Margaret Isabella Johnston.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnston, Thomas Brumby 1814 births 1897 deaths People from Perth, Scotland Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 19th-century Scottish photographers Scottish cartographers