Outlook Tower gardener and neighbour, c 1890-c 1910

Richmond Place. The title detailed on the original envelope read "Ethylotragedy Arithocomedy (O T garden & neighbour). A tragedy for ethyl (a sad state for the chemical or for alcohol) and a comedy in numbers (at least four bits of glass) illustrates the writer's sense of humour. He means that the glass slide (or plate) has been broken. The writer has been identified as Alasdair Geddes. He may have been recording his father's words. For comments on Geddes' habit of "inventing extravagant neologisms" see Mairet. Richmond Cycle Depot is shown on the sign in the picture. This shop was given in a Post Office Directory of Edinburgh (1910) as 3 Richmond Place. Handwritten title by Alasdair Geddes.