Stereoscopic photograph of the Sir Walter Scott monument looking east with Calton Hill in the background. The Nelson Monument stands on the top of the hill. The monument stands on the right of the background as a neo-gothic canopy with the statue of Scott underneath. In the foreground is a busy street scene with horse and carts travelling along the road and pedestrians on the pavement.

This is an example of Wilson's 'instantaneous' photographic technique in which moving subjects appear static owing to a shorter exposure time. Prince's Street was a popular location on which Wilson trained his lens in Edinburgh and these scenes presented an opportunity for the photographer to freeze subjects that might otherwise appear blurred. The eponymous monument was dedicated to the writer Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) and was constructed on the north side of East Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh and close to the Waverley Railway station. It was designed by George Meikle Kemp (1795-1844) and construction began in 1840 with its completion in 1844.