Edinburgh Exhibitions  -  2005

'New Acquisitions

of Photography'

21 May to 20 September

Scottish National Portrait Gallery

1 Queen Street

Open 10am to 5pm* (Mon to Sat)

* Open to 7pm (Thursdays)

Admission Free.

 

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery's collection of photographs has increased from 5,000 items in 1984 to 34,000 today [2005].

This exhibition includes a wide range of acquisitions in recent years from historic to modern photographs.

Historic photographs

Historic photographs include a display of photos taken in the first three decades of the 20th century by:

- Sir James Stewart Lockhart (1858-1937) who spent more than 40 years in Hong Kong and China and became Registrar General for Hong Kong then Commissioner of Weihaiwei, China.

- Reginald Johnston using a Box Brownie camera.  Reginald Johnston, son of a Morningside solicitor, became tutor to the last Emperor of China

-  several unidentified Chinese photographers. 

These photos are from the Stewart Lockhart Collection of over 4,000  photographs and 500 paintings on loan from George Watson's College to the National Galleries of Scotland.

There are also photographs (c.1869-1897) by the Fife photographer, Robert Terras.

Historic photographs

Recent photographs includes a series of large images made by Paul Kenny directly from seaweed, seawater, plastic and other materials found on the beach.  These finds have been allowed to dry and crystallise before being exposed under the enlarger to produce the 'one-off' images.

 

 

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