He is best known as the guitarist who performed on such Queen hits as “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “We are the Champions”.
But Brian May will visit Aberdeen next month to celebrate the work of another man who achieved fame through a very different royal connection.
The rock star will appear, in his capacity as director of The London Stereoscopic Company, for the launch of a new book dedicated to Aberdeen-born photographer George Washington Wilson.
Mr Wilson, who lived from 1823 to 1893, rose to prominence after documenting the construction of Balmoral Castle and working with Queen Victoria.
His innovations in stereoscopic photography during the 1850s created some of the most captivating stereo images of the period.
A century later, these type of pictures captured the imagination of a young Brian May when they were given away free with breakfast cereal in the 1950s.
And now he has contributed to ‘George Washington Wilson, Artist and Photographer’, written by Professor Roger Taylor – no relation to the Queen drummer, but the world authority on Mr Wilson.
It will be launched at Aberdeen University, which holds the largest collection of Wilson’s work, on August 16.
Mr May will join the author to celebrate the esteemed photographer at King’s College campus, where they will trace Mr Wilson’s career and show key examples of his work using a stunning new projection system.
The audience will be provided with the highest quality 3-D glasses to enjoy the images as they were intended.
Professor Phil Hannaford, interim senior vice-pricipal at the university, said he was delighted to unveil the book in Mr Wilson’s home city.
He said: “Aberdeen and the university has a long association with George Washington Wilson and we are proud not only to hold the world’s largest collection of his work but to have undertaken extensive work to digitise this wonderful collection and make it available to the public.”
Mr May said: “It’s my pleasure to introduce this beautiful book, at the request of my great friend Professor Roger Taylor.
“It has been many years in the making and I’m confident it will have been worth every minute.
“It presents the life and work of George Washington Wilson who, with great skill and flair, photographed the unique beauties of the Scottish countryside in the 1860s with his stereoscopic camera.
“The resulting 3-D images proved immensely successful and established Wilson’s reputation as a pre-eminent photographer.”
Tickets for the event in the Art’s Lecture Theatre, King’s College, are available from www.abdn.ac.uk/events.
