Unknown female by Metcalfe & Glaister [carte de visite]

Photo details:

Title unknown female by Metcalfe & Glaister Date 1875 Collection Georgina Auld nee Muir photo album Digital ID apc-000106 Photo Type Carte de visite Mount Size 62 x 102 mm Mount Thickness 0.630 mm Mount Colour Natural Mount Edges Straight Mount Corners Square Image Size 58 x 90 mm Technology Albumen Features Front Imprint None Back Imprint Medium sized, text and artwork

Front face Rear face

Front face:

unknown female by Metcalfe & Glaister (front face)
[Auld Photograph Collection apc-000106-s1]

Larger version on Flickr

There is no imprint on the front face.

Although the individual female depicted in the photograph is unknown, there are several potential candidates for who it may be.

The first and most likely candidate, in my opinion, would be James Muir's first wife Elizabeth nee Coutts. As identified in the post titled Trove Tuesday : The family of James Muir, James and Elizabeth were married 15 December 1874, the year prior to when this photograph is believed to have been taken (based on the rear imprint information - see below). Combine this information with the previously identified photo of James Muir by Metcalfe & Glaister [Carte de visite], which was taken by the same photographers around the same time period.

It is also known that Georgina Auld nee Muir & James Muir's sister, Christina Muir, was also living in Brisbane, although to date it is not known when Christina arrived in Australia.

Rear face:

unknown female by Metcalfe & Glaister (rear face)
[Auld Photograph Collection apc-000106-s2]

Larger version on Flickr

Imprint on rear face is medium sized and includes both text and artwork. Inscription of the text reads as:

METCALFE & GLAISTER.
PHOTOGRAPHIC
ARTISTS.
[small print]WATSON & CO:LITH:
QUEEN ST BRISBANE.
Late
J.WATSON, 

See Trove Tuesday : Metcalfe & Glaister [Photographers] for more information on Metcalfe & Glaister and their photographic studio in Queen Street, Brisbane. As discussed in that post, the documentary evidence based solely on the information provided on the back imprint dates the photo to 1875.

Trove Tuesday : The family of James Muir

This week I have been continuing the quest to identify photographs contained in the Georgina Auld nee Muir album. Several carte de visite photographs in the album were taken by photographers located in Brisbane and it is the Muir's from Queensland that today's post is concentrated around.

Marriage of James Muir and Kathrin Gray Coutts

Searching the archived newspapers on Trove for a Muir family related to Georgina Muir, resulted in a marriage notice printed in The Brisbane Courier in 1884. The clue was a reference to Georgina's father, [the late] John Muir, who was a Colliery Manager who lived in Gatehead, Ayrshire, Scotland. Gatehead being located within the Parish of Kilmaurs and is approximately 3.5 miles (or 5.6 kilometers) from Kilmarnock.

This particular marriage was between James Muir (youngest son of John Muir) and Kathrin Gray Coutts (daughter of Donald Coutts) and occurred on 15 September 1884. The marriage notice reads as follows:

Source: Family Notices. (1884, September 16). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 1. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3434153

Confirming James Muir as a brother to Georgina

From previous research undertaken, I knew that Georgina Muir did have a brother named James and that their father was John Muir. Research also confirmed that James Muir was the youngest son of John Muir and Elizabeth Miller. A quick search of the online Queensland BDM registers for a death for James Muir (index number 1916/B23755) also confirmed both parents names in full.

Two Muir / Coutts marriages

An additional search for a marriage index number between MUIR and COUTTS came back with two results for our James Muir. The marriage previously identified with Kathrin Gray Coutts in 1884 was listed (index number 1884/B009137) as was another marriage in 1874 to Elizabeth Coutts (index number 1874/B004577).

Marriage of James Muir and Elizabeth Coutts

An additional search in Trove confirmed the details located in the registers. This first marriage occurred on 15 December 1874 between James Muir (youngest son of John Muir) and Kathrin Gray Coutts older sister, Elizabeth Coutts (eldest daughter of Donald Coutts). Again reference is made to James' father John Muir from Ayrshire Scotland. The notice appeared as follows:

Source: Family Notices. (1874, December 16). The Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), p. 2. Retrieved May 27, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1392469

The family of James Muir

Looking for Muir births with a Coutts mother in the Queensland birth indexes, we find eleven children. Four children with Elizabeth (first wife of James), and seven children with Kathrin Gray (second wife of James). The children and their birth year/reference numbers are:

Children of James Muir and Elizabeth Coutts

• 1876/B20863 - John Donald Coutts
• 1877/B22664 - James
• 1879/B24813 - Hugh Dalrymple Coutts
• 1881/B28157 - William Thomas Miller

Children of James Muir and Kathrin Gray Coutts

• 1885/B34298 - Donald Coutts
• 1886/C8033 - Elizebeth Wilhelmina
• 1888/C9124 - Oswald
• 1888/C9125 - Walter Gray
• 1889/C9760 - Kathrine Georgina
• 1891/C4419 - Christina Janet
• 1895/B55875 - Agnes

Interestingly, based on the consecutive numbers, it appears that in 1888 James and Kathrin had twin boys, Oswald and Walter. This detail is confirmed with a birth notice that appeared in The Queenslander:

Source: Family Notices. (1888, February 25). The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld. : 1866 - 1939), p. 281. Retrieved May 28, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19930654