[Group of 16 Early Stereograph Views of British Abbeys]

Alexander McGlashon was a Scottish photographer who was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1791. He began his career as a lithographer and engraver, working for various printers in Edinburgh. In the 1840s McGlashon became interested in photography and began to experiment with the new medium. He quickly became one of Scotland's leading photographers, renowned for his portraits and landscapes. McGlashon was one of the first photographers to use the calotype process, which allowed multiple prints to be made from a single negative. He also experimented with other photographic processes, including the daguerreotype. McGlashon's photographs were widely exhibited and critically acclaimed. He was a member of the Royal Scottish Academy and the Photographic Society of Scotland. McGlashon continued to work as a photographer until his death in 1877 at the age of 86. His legacy as a pioneer of Scottish photography is still celebrated today.