Grant Kemp - Restoring Your Past

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I think this delightfully candid Victorian magic lantern slide from 1890 gives a more accurate impression of a visit to the British seaside. Sunny summer days still have that bracing sea air, and although the water may look tempting it's usually cold enough to make the blood drain from your legs before you've even stepped in. Despite that you can see the sense of freedom, and joy that a simple paddle in the ocean can bring. The popularity of magic lanterns waned after the introduction of movies in the 1890s, but they remained a common medium until slide projectors became widespread during the 1950s. I've seen this image displayed as both a glass slide, and a round print, so it may have been produced by a local studio owner when out taking other seaside views. I've tried to reimagine what the photographer must have seen that day to persuade him to take such an informal picture. Perhaps he too had tired of the dark, formal, and stuffy Victorian studio. This is my colourised version of the black, and white glass magic lantern slide from 1890, but I have posted the untouched original image within the comments.

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Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, MC (18th March 1893 - 4th November 1918) was an English poet and soldier. He was one of the leading poets of the First World War. His war poetry on the horrors of trenches and gas warfare was much influenced by his mentor Siegfried Sassoon and stood in contrast to the public perception of war at the time. Among his best-known works (most of which were published posthumously) are "Dulce et Decorum est", "Insensibility", "Anthem for Doomed Youth", "Futility", "Spring Offensive" and "Strange Meeting".

Anthem for Doomed Youth By Wilfred Owen

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?      — Only the monstrous anger of the guns.      Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle Can patter out their hasty orisons. No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;      Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,— The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;      And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?      Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.      The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall; Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds, And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

Owen was born at Plas Wilmot, a house in Weston Lane, near Oswestry in Shropshire. He was the eldest of four children, his parents lived in a comfortable house owned by his grandfather, Edward Shaw.

After Edward's death in January 1897, and the house's sale in March, the family lodged in the back streets of Birkenhead. There Thomas Owen temporarily worked in the town employed by a railway company. Thomas transferred to Shrewsbury in April 1897 where the family lived with Thomas' parents in Canon Street.

Owen discovered his poetic vocation in about 1904 during a holiday spent in Cheshire. He was raised as an Anglican of the evangelical type, and in his youth was a devout believer, in part thanks to his strong relationship with his mother, which lasted throughout his life. His early influences included the Bible and the Romantic poets, particularly John Keats.

Owen's last two years of formal education saw him as a pupil-teacher at the Wyle Cop school in Shrewsbury. In 1911 he passed the matriculation exam for the University of London, but not with the first-class honours needed for a scholarship, which in his family's circumstances was the only way he could have afforded to attend.

In return for free lodging, and some tuition for the entrance exam Owen worked as lay assistant to the Vicar of Dunsden near Reading, iving in the vicarage from September 1911 to February 1913. During this time he attended classes at University College, Reading (now the University of Reading), in botany and later, at the urging of the head of the English Department, took free lessons in Old English. His time spent at Dunsden parish led him to disillusionment with the Church, both in its ceremony and its failure to provide aid for those in need.

From 1913 he worked as a private tutor teaching English and French at the Berlitz School of Languages in Bordeaux, France, and later with a family. There he met the older French poet Laurent Tailhade, with whom he later corresponded in French. When war broke out, Owen did not rush to enlist – and even considered the French army – but eventually returned to England.

On 21 October 1915, he enlisted in the Artists Rifles. Owen was commissioned as a second lieutenant (on probation) in the Manchester Regiment. Initially Owen held his troops in contempt for their loutish behaviour, and in a letter to his mother described his company as "expressionless lumps". However, his imaginative existence was to be changed dramatically by a number of traumatic experiences. He fell into a shell hole and suffered concussion; he was caught in the blast of a trench mortar shell and spent several days unconscious on an embankment lying amongst the remains of one of his fellow officers. Soon afterward, Owen was diagnosed as suffering from neurasthenia or shell shock and sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh for treatment. It was while recuperating at Craiglockhart that he met fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon, an encounter that was to transform Owen's life.

Owen was killed in action on 4 November 1918 during the crossing of the Sambre–Oise Canal, exactly one week (almost to the hour) before the signing of the Armistice which ended the war, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant the day after his death. His mother received the telegram informing her of his death on Armistice Day, as the church bells in Shrewsbury were ringing out in celebration. Owen is buried at Ors Communal Cemetery, Ors, in northern France.

This is my colourised version of a black, and white photograph taken by John Gunston in 1916

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120 years ago when William Reid took this wonderful image this was quite a fresh idea. Little did he know that the next century would see children, and puppies used by the advertising industry to sell everything from insurance policies to toilet rolls. Posed in the Scottish Highlands, somehow this Victorian photographer has managed to capture all six English Setter puppies in sharp focus, no mean feat at the time.

So, what is it that makes them seem so cute, and heart-warming

The leading theory, known as the "baby schema" effect, says a release of the chemicals dopamine and oxytocin is triggered in the brain when humans look at puppies. The same chemicals are released when we look at babies, and similar chemicals are released when we fall in love.

This chemical release is triggered by visual cues in baby mammals, including a large head relative to body size, big eyes, rounded body shape, and soft body surfaces. Since human babies are helpless for many months, our biological response to them makes us want to care for and protect them, so it's an evolutionary advantage for our species.

But it also means we feel happy when we see puppies, whether in real life or in photographic form. William Reid has examples of his work in museum photographic collections, and kept by the National Geographic Society.

This is my colourised version of a black, and white photograph taken in 1900

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With his last breath he vowed "I will come back." The Victorian ghost who haunts Covent Garden tube station and the Adelphi Theatre.

123 years ago today, 16th December 1897, William Terriss was entering the Adelphi Theatre through the stage door in Maiden Lane, London, to prepare for the evening's performance of the play "Secret Service" when he was stabbed to death by a deranged and disgruntled actor, Richard Archer Prince.

Terriss had helped the struggling younger actor to find work in various productions that he had a hand in. However, Prince had, over the years, increasingly abused alcohol and become mentally unstable. During the run of The Harbour Lights, in which Prince had a minor role, Terriss took offence to something that Prince said about him and had Prince dismissed. Terriss, however, sent small sums of money to Prince via the Actors' Benevolent Fund, and continued to try to find him acting work. By the end of 1897, Prince was destitute and desperate for work, but he had become unemployable.

William Terriss, born as William Charles James Lewin, was an English actor, known for his swashbuckling hero roles, such as Robin Hood, as well as parts in classic dramas and comedies. He was also a notable Shakespearean performer. He was the father of the Edwardian musical comedy star Ellaline Terriss and the film director Tom Terriss. Athletic as a child, Terriss briefly joined the merchant navy and tried several professions abroad and at home. Adopting the stage name William Terriss, he made his first stage appearance in 1868 and was first in the West End in Tom Robertson's Society in 1871. In the same year he had major successes in Robin Hood and Rebecca and quickly established himself as one of Britain's most popular actors. In 1880, he joined Henry Irving's company at the Lyceum Theatre, appearing in Shakespeare plays.

The New York Dramatic Mirror called Terriss "one of the greatest and next to Henry Irving undoubtedly the most popular actor in England"

On 13th December 1897 Richard Archer Prince was forcibly ejected from the foyer of the Vaudeville Theatre, and he and Terriss were seen to argue the next night in Terriss's dressing room in the Adelphi Theatre.

Three days later, 16th December, Prince asked for money at the Fund's office, but was told that his request could not be considered that day. He then apparently crossed the street and waited for Terriss concealed in a doorway near the Adelphi's stage door. Terriss arrived at the stage door of the Theatre to prepare for an evening performance of the melodrama "Secret Service", when, according to a witness, “somebody rushed from across the road and struck him two blows most rapidly on the back.”

When the stunned Terriss turned around, the assailant “raised his arm a third time and plunged a large knife deep into the actor’s chest.”

Terriss cried out: “My God, I am stabbed! Arrest him!” A number of theatre staff rushed to his aid and, according to one newspaper report, “formed all too late a bodyguard.” Terriss was carried into a passage behind the stage door and propped up on pillows but he could not be saved. As he died, his lover, actress Jessie Millward, heard him whisper: "I will come back."

The murder became a sensation in the London press. At the trial Prince was found guilty but insane and sent to Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, where he died in 1937. His relatively mild sentence was met with anger by the theatrical community, and Sir Henry Irving was later quoted as saying that "Terriss was an actor, so his murderer will not be executed.

Terriss’s promise that “I will come back” apparently came true in 1928. According to reports, a young actress was resting in her dressing room before a performance at the Adelphi Theatre when her couch began to shake. When it happened again she saw a green mist. Then something grabbed her arms and held her down. Her ordeal continued until there were two knocks on the door.

She learned later that the room had belonged to William Terriss who, through superstition, would always knock twice on the door with his cane before entering. In the 1950s Terriss was reported to have been seen emerging from a green mist at the theatre.

At nearby Covent Garden Tube Station, ticket collector Jack Hayden said in 1955 that he saw Terriss walking along the platform. “He was wearing an opera cloak and gloves, holding a cane, and had a very, very sad face and sunken cheeks,” he said.

The actor is even said to have been seen walking through a closed cafeteria door. The last reported sighting was in 1972.

A fictionalized version of Terriss's murder, The Star of the Adelphi, was broadcast in 2002 on BBC Radio 4 as part of The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

These are my colourised version of two sepia toned portraits 1. A portrait taken by Alexander Bassano, published by St James's Photographic Co albumen cabinet card, 1882-1883 2. William Terriss (William Charles James Lewin) as Romeo in 'Romeo & Juliet' by Herbert Rose Barraud, carbon print, published 1st January 1885

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Taken 160 years ago these two young Victorians don't seem that interested in having their picture taken, in fact this one-sixth plate daguerreotype captures them looking rather fed up. However they are just approaching that age when children start to look outside the nursery at that rather scary place the world outside. When 2020 is written about it won't be surprising what the main topic will be, but 1860 had a little more going for it as an interesting read ....

The first Italian Parliament meets at Turin.

The Pony Express begins its first run from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, with riders carrying a small Bible.

One of the worst storms ever experienced in the region hits the east coast of England, sinking more than 100 ships and killing at least 40 people.

Anton Chekhov, Russian writer is born .... January 29th

The Nightingale Training School and Home for Nurses, the first nursing school based on the ideas of Florence Nightingale, is opened at St Thomas' Hospital in London.

Britain produces 20% of the entire world's output of industrial goods.

J. M. Barrie, Scottish author, creator of Peter Pan is born .... May 9th

John Hanning Speke and James Augustus Grant leave Zanzibar, to search for the source of the Nile River.

German chemist Albert Niemann makes a detailed analysis of the coca leaf, isolating and purifying the alkaloid, which he calls cocaine.

Klara Hitler, mother of Adolf Hitler is born .... August 12th

Annie Oakley, American Wild West show performer is born .... August 13th

The Open Championship, also known as the British Open, is played for the first time at Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland. The event is won by Willie Park Sr

First recorded fish and chip shops in the United Kingdom, Joseph Malin's in London and John Lees' in Mossley near Oldham, Lancashire

U.S. presidential election: Abraham Lincoln beats John C. Breckinridge, Stephen A. Douglas, and John Bell, and is elected as the 16th President of the United States, the first Republican to hold that office.

Charles Dickens publishes the first installment of Great Expectations in his magazine All the Year Round.

American Civil War: South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States.

The world's first ocean-going (all) iron-hulled and armoured battleship, the (British) HMS Warrior, is launched.

This is my colourised version of a one-sixth plate daguerreotype taken around 1860

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It's Sunday, the Autumn of 1908, and the children of the James family from the lovely town of Bicester, Oxfordshire gather together for a garden photograph to mark the end of another glorious Summer. A warm September let them think the sunny days would last forever, the toys of summer, and wicker chairs are still scattered around the lawn. The village church that had been a nice cool retreat from the summer heat was decidedly chilly this morning. Now back to school, it's hats, coats, and boots ready for the coming winter. As the shutter clicks, the unmistakable smell of roast beef drifts from the kicthen window. Now with arms holding butterfly nets, cricket stumps, and croquet hoops, the lawn is left like a blank canvas, ready for the falling leaves. The children head inside with thoughts of Yorkshire pudding, gravy, and counting the weeks to the Christmas holidays. This is my colourised version of a sepia toned photograph taken in 1908

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Taken 115 years ago by by MEM Donaldson, this delightful photograph shows what I think all of us must have experienced while growing up. I remember the many hours spent with my Grandfather in his shed, building, sawing, hammering, and occasionally making something useful. Under his guidance it was always done the right way with the proper tools, and that's something I've always carried with me. Mrs Catherine MacDonald sits at her spinning wheel, watched by granddaughter Peggy, at Kinagarry on the West Coast of Scotland. Grandmother MacDonald is using a simple but strongly-built ‘little’ or 'Saxony’ wheel. This was a static form of spinning, but the ancient mobile form of spinning with a distaff and spindle would still be being used in the late nineteenth century by girls tending the flocks. I'm sure Peggy would have mastered this essential skill pretty quickly after watching her Grandmother for many happy hours. This little girl would have grown up knowing how much effort went into the clothes she wore, and would probably remember her Grandmother while wrapped up in the warm woolens that made winter in the West Coast of Scotland that little bit more bearable. This is my colourised version of the black, and white photograph taken by MEM Donaldson around 1905. She was a skilled photographer and specialised in topographical scenes and in portraits of her neighbours at Sanna, of people in Morar and Arisaig, and of the people she met on her travels around rural Scotland

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Taken around 1890 the original print of this picture was part of a very water damaged album rescued from a flooded basement in Bath, Somerset. Famous for it's Roman-era baths, and 18th century Georgian architecture, the city was going through a period of rapid expansion in the late 1800's. Bath had become another Victorian urban area where the labouring poor had become marginalised, but were surrounded by magnificent buildings housing some incredibly wealthy families.

This wonderful picture shows Master Thomas, and his faithful companion "Leander", unfortunately the feint pencil fades in, and out, and has made his surname unreadable, but the reason for the portrait survives. The full hand-wriiten text on the back of the print reads "Master Thomas, and Leander "The Lion", in this house they are inseparable. Twice this faithful beast has kept Thomas, and our family safe from those who would do us harm". The name "Leander" literally translates to "Lion Man".

This is my colourised version of the sepia toned print taken in 1890

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"September’s merry month is near That brings in Neptune’s caller cheer, New oysters fresh; The halesomest and nicest gear O’ fish or flesh."

1880, the Newhaven Fisherwives, .... Read more below

Taken 140 years ago, this beautifully posed studio photograph by Alexander Adam Inglis, entitled "Newhaven Fisherwives" was taken to show the distinctive local character. Although close to Edinburgh, the people of Newhaven remained individual in dress and tradition. A local tradition tells that the fisherfolk came from the Netherlands, and the northern shores of France, especially from Normandy and Brittany. Accustomed to an outdoor life from their early years and in all weathers, the fisherwomen are well known for their strong and healthy figures.  A fishwife’s ordinary load varies from half a hundredweight to a hundredweight, and, incredible as it may seem, heavier loads are sometimes carried. The girls generally go bareheaded, however, the married women wear a frilled cap that seems to indicate that old connection with the fisherfolk of Flanders, Normandy, and the coasts of Brittany. Such are the fishwives of whom, when driving through Newhaven in 1872, the late Queen Victoria saw "many very enthusiastic, but not in their smartest dress." In their smartest dress the Newhaven fisher girls are undoubtedly the golden butterflies of their kind. As such they have been invited to concerts in many large English towns, and a dozen of them were sent as attendants to the great London Fisheries Exhibition of 1883, when they were hospitably entertained by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle, and by the Prince and Princess of Wales (afterwards King Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra) at Marlborough House. As a result of this visit the fisher girls’ garb as a costume for ladies became fashionable all over the country, silks and finer cloths being substituted for the more common and more durable material. Until recent years the inhabitants of Newhaven rarely married outside their own community. Their marriages have been aptly described as a union of talents as well as of hearts. A woman of any other class would be almost useless as a fisherman’s wife, unacquainted as she would be with the baiting and the preparation of lines and the mending of nets, and unable to assist him in the maintenance of the family by donning the creel and disposing of his catch. Between 1572 and 1890, Newhaven was a major port for landing oysters. During every month with the letter "r" in it—that is, from September to April—the cry of "Caller ou" (that is, Caller oysters), the most beautiful of all the fisherwomen’s cries, was frequently heard on the streets after "the aucht hours’ bell." Evening oyster parties were fashionable in old-time Edinburgh and Leith, and many a "snell repartee" used to be exchanged between the oyster lass and her customers.

"September’s merry month is near That brings in Neptune’s caller cheer, New oysters fresh; The halesomest and nicest gear O’ fish or flesh."

Very sadly, the supply of oysters in the Forth, from overdredging and other causes, is now extremely limited.

The Photographer .... Alexander Adam Inglis (1847-1903) was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He worked as a professional photographer from 1881 based at Rock House, Calton Hill, Edinburgh, originally the studio of D.O. Hill & Robert Adamson. He produced many views of Edinburgh, both cartes de visite and larger formats. Members of the Inglis family continued to work from Rock House until the mid-20th century.

This is my colourised version of the photograph taken in 1880

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An Edwardian family, 1908. Three generations in the garden ....

It is something that we all take for granted now, that any family gathering would be recorded for posterity in such detail. Today every family member snaps away at the people, the clothes, the food, and usually the odd embarassing moment once the cocktails (beer) starts flowing. This Edwardian family was taking advantage of the latest home, and portable cameras that finally freed them from a visit to a photographer's studio. I think you can tell from the angle this picture was taken, that they have placed a camera on a low table, and set the clockwork timer. Underneath the deckchair on the far left is a Kodak folding pocket camera (very large pockets necessary), so this was a family committed to capturing every moment. The Kodak No. 3a was introduced in 1903, the model B-4 in 1908, and boasted a leather covered body, red leather bellows, brilliant view-finder, spirit level, and film advance indicated by a red window. The camera that took this beautifully sharp photograph was loaded with a glass negative, so a larger, and more sturdy model. The Field camera, 'Royal Favorite', (also known as the "Imperial Perfecta") with bellows, wood, and brass, made by Thornton Pickard Manufacturing Company, Altringham would do the job nicely, and was released in 1908. This wonderful nostalgic image has lasted 112 years, I wonder how many of todays mobile phone snaps will still be around in 2,132?

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This is my colourised version of the black, and white photograph taken in 1908

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Taken over a century ago by the Sutton based photographer David Knights Whittome, I can't be sure that this beautifully dressed Mother is proud of her two young scholars, or smiling as she looks forward to the peace, and quiet the coming term will bring. A stunning glass negative made in 1916, this is a great example of the high quality photographs that this self-taught artist produced.

Knights-Whittome obtained a Royal Warrant of Appointment in 1911 having photographed the Royal Family over a number of years. He subsequently advertised himself as ‘Photographer to the King’. He photographed three generations of the British Royal family (Edward VII, George V and the future Edward VIII) in formal portrait shoots, country house parties and as part of a larger ‘press pack’ at events such as the investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1911. He also photographed other Royals such as King Alfonso of Spain, King Manuel of Portugal and the Queen of Norway.

With the outbreak of war, David was attested as a Special Constable on the 14 August 1914 and served in that capacity locally until the 31 December 1914 after which he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and then in 1916 transferred to the Royal Garrison Artillery, Special Reserve, as a 2nd Lieutenant.

It's always wonderful to know who's in these superb photographs, and thankfully we do have that information - Annie Jane Moorcroft nee Essex (1877–1969) Frank Essex Moorcroft (1904–1986) William Joseph E Moorcroft (1907–1995) Missing from this family picture is - Husband, and Father, Frank Augustus Moorcroft (1877-1944)

This is my colourised version of the black, and white photograph taken in 1916, but I have posted the untouched original image within the comments.

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115 years ago two young ladies pose on Plymouth breakwater. The 1,560-metre (1,710 yd) stone breakwater protects Plymouth Sound and the anchorages near Plymouth, Devon, England. It is 13 metres (43 ft) wide at the top and the base is 65 metres (213 ft). It lies in about 10 metres (33 ft) of water. Around 4 million tons of rock were used in its construction in 1812 at the then-colossal cost of £1.5 million (equivalent to £101 million today).

The foundation stone was laid on Shovel Rock on August 8, 1812. It followed a line over Panther Rock, Shovel and St. Carlos Rocks, and was sufficiently completed by 1814 to shelter ships of the line. Napoleon was reported as commenting that the breakwater was a grand thing, as he passed by it on the way to exile on St. Helena in 1815.

Plymouth Breakwater Lighthouse stands on the western tip of the breakwater. Designed for the Admiralty by Walker & Burgess, construction of the granite tower began on 22 February 1841 and was completed on November 9th 1843.

By 1867 a 7 cwt bell had been installed at the lighthouse to serve as a fog signal. In 1879 a larger (32 cwt) bell was installed, and the old bell was transferred to Gunfleet Lighthouse. (The new bell had previously been in use at Start Point lighthouse, where a fog siren had replaced it two years earlier). The bell sounded four strokes every minute in foggy weather.

This is my colourised version of the black, and white photograph taken in 1905

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115 years ago the photographer Albert Harlingue had just settled at No. 5 rue Seveste, in Paris. Quiet, and unassuming, he moved around the French capital recording daily life, but with an accent on artistic Parisian life. This intimate composition seems to have been captured with both subjects totally unaware of the photographer. The image is described in these words "The elegantly dressed young lady watches the master’s adjustments with careful concentration, and is eager to pick up the paintbrush again as soon as possible." You'll still see classes like this in, and around Paris, not so many these days. I joined one during a stay in Paris, and I must admit I learned some important lessons, the most important being that if an attractive young French woman presents her canvas, and asks your opinion, the correct answer is "You're very talented, I really admire your work". Even if the canvas looks like it's been thrown into a box full of angry spiders who are covered in oil paint, it is the correct answer unless you really want to learn every swear word in the French language, and feel the sharp end of a paintbrush! Albert Harlingue created his own Illustrated Information Agency, which published and negotiated his photos as well as those of other photographers. In 1914, he joined an army photography unit and produced numerous reports on the Great War. He then continued his activity of reporting daily Parisian life until his death, leaving a collection of more than 70,000 negatives. In 1985, all the images were bequeathed to the City of Paris. This is my colourised version of the black, and white photograph taken by Albert Harlingue in 1905

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Taken 100 years ago on the promenade at Villers-sur-Mer, this beautifully composed photograph could easily be the poster campaign for holidays at this chic commune in Calvados, Normandy. The commune is located on the French coast of the English Channel, on the Côte Fleurie, between Deauville and Houlgate, approximately 200 km from Paris. Villers-sur-Mer (then known as Villers) was more akin to a group of hamlets during the early 19th century.  Villers at that time contained, a church, two farms (La Motte and Fontaine), and a castle. When this group of bright young things were on "en vacances", Villers-sur-Mer would have attracted a lot of wealthy visitors. For a place of just a few miles square it boasted some luxurious hotels, and a casino. The other attraction to the area is that it is the starting point of the Vaches Noires cliffs, a site where many fossils have been discovered. It is a place widely known by specialists in Ammonites which are perhaps the most widely known fossil, possessing the typically ribbed spiral-form shell. These creatures lived in the seas between 240 - 65 million years ago. Paleontology was a popular pursuit during the late Victorian, and Edwardian eras, and many gentlemen would have specially made wooden boxes to contain their collection of curios to provide a great source for after-dinner conversation. Today Villers-sur-Mer is known for the large topiary dinosaurs facing the sea from the garden of the office of tourism. In certain years, a baby dinosaur is added to the garden. For Paris residents it was the ideal alternative to travelling South to the famously glamorous beach resorts such as Saint-Tropez and Cannes which are nearly 900km from the capital. in 1920 Villers-sur-Mer had a population of 1,442, today it has around 2,700 residents, and combines the charm of "La Belle Époque" with some modern additions. The small fossil museum has been replaced by "Paléospace" a modern Dinosaur attraction aimed at a younger audience, there is a funfair, and mini-golf, but the architecture that gave this Normandy resort its character still exists, and is well preserved. I think if you visit, and throw on a classically styled linen suit with a panama hat you can still relive the Beautiful Epoch by strolling along the promenade, or you can head to the cliffs with your rock hammer, and cloth bag for a spot of dinosaur hunting. Having said that I think you'll just have to imagine you're a paleontologist by looking at the stones on the beach, the area is a classified site of scientific interest so no digging, just surface grazing or you may find yourself in big trouble. The local residents are understandably protective of these special cliffs and keep an eye out for fossil cowboys. This is my colourised version of a black, and white photograph taken in 1920

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From 100 years ago almost to the day, this is another beautifully composed picture from a past spent in the Western Highlands, and Islands. What we see is a man at peace with his dog, and pet kitten among the peat bearing fields, Laig Bay, Isle of Eigg, Inverness-shire. Taken by the very talented Miss Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson from her collection "Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands". The picture features an island resident, Lauchlan MacAskill sitting with a peat spade before gathering more fuel to stock up for the winter ahead. Isolated pockets of peat of postglacial origin are to be found behind Bay of Laig. The Isle of Eigg is one of the most beautiful Hebridean Islands.  About five miles long by three miles wide, Eigg lies 10 miles off the Scottish West coast, South of the Isle of Skye. Today the population stands at just under 100 people, but it was more heavily populated by the end of the 18th century after the introduction of the potato, as a food crop, and was home to over 500 people. Eigg has been under the control of many masters during it's history, early Iron Age hut circles are found throughout the island, Irish missionaries brought Christianity, only to be slaughtered by a Pictish queen, and the Vikings came in 833. It's the Scottish clans that brought massacre, and pillage to the isle. In 1577, according to Clan Ranald tradition, a group of MacLeods were being hosted on Eigg, when they became over-amorous towards local women. As a result, the local men rounded the MacLeods up, and cast them adrift in the Minch, until they were rescued by MacLeods from elsewhere. Wanting revenge, a group of MacLeods landed on Eigg, but had been spotted by the islanders, who decided to hide in an obscure cave called the Cave of Frances located on the south coast; the entrance to the cave is tiny, and was obscured by moss, undergrowth, and a small waterfall. The traditions go on to say that the MacLeods conducted a thorough but fruitless search for the inhabitants, but after 3-5 days, just as the MacLeods were leaving, they saw someone leave the cave, and were able to follow their footprints to the entrance. The MacLeods re-directed the water, piled thatch and roof timbers at the cave entrance, and set fire to it; water dampened the flames, so that the cave was filled with smoke, asphyxiating everyone inside. 395 people had been inside, only one inhabitant of Eigg survived, an old woman, who had not sought refuge in the cave. and Today ..... The island is owned by the Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust who have managed it on behalf of the community since the community buyout of 1997.  The Trust has responsibility for stewardship of the island, its buildings and natural heritage, and for supporting future development.  The Trust has a number of subsidiary companies, including Eigg Electric, which provides the island with electricity from renewables, and Eigg Trading, which leases the pier centre An Laimhrig to the local shop, tearoom and craft shop. This is my colourised version of a black, and white photograph taken, late summer, 1920

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Another wonderful portrait taken by Miss Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson, and a good excuse for some history of the art that was male dominated in Scotland from the 15th Century, but was perfected by the women, and children of the Highlands. This picture taken in 1905 shows a woman from Ardnamurchan, (commonly described as the most westerly point of the British mainland) going about her day, and knitting from the ball of wool that would always be in her pocket.

Knitting as a means for making clothes and accessories can be traced back to the Middle East possibly as far back as the 5th century, but it wasn’t until around the 14th century that knitting reached Europe. The art reached Scotland in the 15th century and quickly became the means of earning a living for many. In the early days of knitting in Scotland, it was very male dominated, and was seen as a highly skilled trade, done by trained craftsmen belonging to guilds or incorporations. However, by the 17th and 18th centuries knitting was a flourishing trade in Scotland and a key occupation for many; women, children and men. They produced everything from jumpers to gloves to underwear. Some products were even exported overseas or traded with passing merchant vessels. For example, some in Shetland traded their knitwares with passing Dutch ships for resources including tea and sugar. In 1793, Aberdeen exported around 76,000 dozen pairs of hand-knitted stocking. This was primarily to the Netherlands. In 1589, the first knitting machine was produced in England by William Lee. Small-scale knitting machines also began to make it into homes. By the 19th century, knitting factories were growing in popularity, and technology and machines developed further. Hawick had become the Scottish centre for machine-knitted goods, as handknitting became less commercially sustainable. Other knitting factories appeared across the country. Only Shetland remained handknitting regularly on a commercial basis. They had two dominant types of knitting at this time: the well-known Fair Isle style, and a lace knitting approach used for making shawls. This practice continues to this day, and its output has an international reputation. Knitting remains important for Shetland, in fact all primary school children are taught the art. Regional varieties of knitting developed all over Scotland,and one prominent example is the Sanquhar Knitting, developed in the Ayrshire village of Sanquhar in the 18th century. The individual Sanquhar ‘patterns’, such as the Duke and the Rose, were often passed down through word of mouth from generation to generation. Some still continue this oral history tradition today. Another regional variety is the Fair Isle design. It originated on the island of Fair Isle, which lies between the Orkney and Shetland Islands (though part of Shetland). The inspiration for the patterns and colours is unknown, though it is probable that a knitted item with a similar pattern was traded onto the island, and acted as a springboard for this design. Fair Isle experienced a surge of popularity in the 1920s, partly due to Prince of Wales wearing a sweater as part of his golfing clothes. Throughout the 20th century it experienced periods of popularity and is now one of the most well-known patterns for knitware in the world. Today, it’s also a source of inspiration for the fashion industry. This is my colourised version of a black, and white photograph taken in 1905, but I have posted the untouched original image within the comments.

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Taken over 110 years ago, this wonderful portrait is just one of the many beautifully captured images by the historian, and photographer, Miss Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson. During the early 1900's, Miss Donaldson could be seen travelling the Highlands loaded up, or pulling a trolley which held a half-plate camera, slides, stand and provisions. The merit of her photographs is obvious. She had the technical skill to produce negatives of remarkable sharpness, and the artistic ability to portray her subjects with natural simplicity. Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson was born in England in 1876. As a young woman she sought out quiet and remote places to study natural history and became particularly attracted to the western highlands and islands of Scotland. As well as an author she was a passionate photographer who not only studied composition but also chemistry and optics, allowing her to process her own glass negatives, prints and enlargements. In addition to her dark-room she had a workshop in which she modified and improved her equipment. She travelled extensively throughout the northern and western highlands taking photographs. She specialised in topographical scenes and portraits. Her biographer, the archaeologist and costume historian John Telfer Dunbar, collected around 1000 of her prints and, on his death, donated them to Inverness Museum. Donaldson wrote nine books -carefully researched accounts of the history and traditions of the Western Highlands; delicate treatments of spiritual subjects; and one furious religious diatribe Scotland's Suppressed History. This is my colourised version of "a Skye gamekeeper and his Skye terrier dog posed on rocks", a black, and white glass negative produced in 1908

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