Lost world of Priory

The final evening lecture of the Abertay Historical Society’s session takes place on May 10 at the University of Dundee. Rachel Nordstrom (University of St Andrews) will give a lecture entitled The Lost World of Rossie Priory: Pioneering Photography.

Rachel says: “In the earliest days of photography, a few key individuals were instrumental in its arrival and dissemination throughout Scotland. Sir David Brewster, principal of what is now the University of St Andrews, was key to the new art called ‘photography’ being taken up by several notable St Andreans.

“He was a guest at the home of Lord and Lady Kinnaird of Rossie Priory when he received word of the new invention that would alter how we saw and documented the world. The Kinnairds were equally excited about this news and took up photography including building their own studio on the grounds of the Priory.”

In 2013 a discovery in an auction house in Yonkers, New York brought to light a previously unseen and unstudied collection of early photographic glass plate negatives made by the Kinnairds in their home. In this lecture Rachel will recount the story of their return to Scotland.

Rachel is the Photographic Collections Manager at the University of St Andrews Library, Special Collections. The archive holds over a million photographs illustrating the rich history of Scotland since the 1840s.

The lecture takes place in Lecture Theatre 2, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee at 6.30pm. It is free and open to everyone, but nonmembers are requested to consider making a small donation to the Society. The event will be proceeded at 6pm by the Society’s Annual General Meeting.