The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Treasure trove of early scottish photos snapped up for nation in £1 million deal
Photography: Collection covers century from pioneering days
A collection of more than 14,000 photos spanning a century of Scottish life has been saved for the nation through a £1 million acquisition.
The Mackinnon collection includes photos from the 1840s to the 1940s with subjects ranging from family portraits and working life to street scenes and landscapes.
It was acquired from a private collector thanks to a collaboration between the National Library of Scotland and the National Galleries of Scotland backed by the Scottish Government, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Art Fund.
The collection was built up by photography enthusiast Murray Mackinnon, who founded a chain of film-processing stores in the 1980s, starting with his pharmacy in Dyce, Aberdeen.
Mr Mackinnon, who sold to the private collector, said: “The collection covers the day-to-day lives of Scottish people both rich and poor, the work they carried out including fishing and farming, in order to survive, and their social life including sport and leisure.
“These were turbulent times what with industrialisation, shipbuilding, new forms of transport, the social upheaval caused by the First World War in Europe and the Boer War in South Africa.
“I would like to thank all the people involved in acquiring this collection for the Scottish nation.”
Highlights include portraits of Scottish regiments from the Crimean War by Roger Fenton and more than 600 original photographs from the early days of photography.
Dr John Scally, National Librarian, said: “This acquisition is akin to buying Scotland’s photographic album of 14,000 pictures and bringing it home, and together with the National Galleries of Scotland, we were determined to make that happen.”
An exhibition of the Mackinnon collection will be held at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery next year, with touring exhibitions around the country to follow. It will also be digitised in the next three years and put online.