Graham, George, 1822-1916 (printer)
Dates
- Existence: 1822 - 1916
Biography
George Graham was an Edinburgh-based printer. He was the son of John Graham, a shoemaker, and Ann McGregor. He had a twin brother named John. The parents died when the twins were four and they were taken into the care of relatives.
At 28, George went to America to seek his fortune, but came back home the following year, in 1851. Upon his return in Edinburgh he worked as a printer. An example of his skill was shown at the Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace in 1851. Gray's Elegy was set up in the smallest type ever made, called brilliant on account of its beautifully clear appearance when printed; and the thirty-two verses of the poem, four lines each, was printed in a space only four inches by three.
George was also a volubly religious man: he went to Brethren meetings in Nicolson Square near to his printing office at 51 Nicolson Street. He could discourse and write at length on his religious views, notably on the Second Coming of Christ, and of course he had no difficulty about getting his work printed.
He married Mary Lyle, youngest of the eleven children of Robert Lyle, a banker in Dalkeith. George Graham and Mary Lyle had two sons, George and William, who both went into banking.