Eilean: The Island Photography of Margaret Fay Shaw

Fast delivery. Good condition.

Beautiful pictures of an island life lost in time.

Great images.

these photographs are unique .

'Margaret Fay Shaw took her first photographs of the Hebrides in 1924 whilst travelling through the islands by bicycle. It was her photography which first brought her to the attention of folklorist John Lorne Campbell, and after their marriage in 1935 they began their unique career together, creating the world's finest treasury of Hebridean song, story, image and folklore.Her collection of some 9,000 photographs and film were taken mainly on the Hebridean islands of Uist, Barra, Mingulay, Eriskay, Canna and the Irish Aran Islands, and form a key part of the magnificent Campbell collections at Canna House, where she and John made their home for 60 years. In 1981 they gifted the island of Canna and its collections to the National Trust for Scotland, who now curate the material for future generations to enjoy.This book features over 100 of the best of Margaret Fay Shaw's Hebridean photographs, with extended captions by Fiona J. Mackenzie and an introductory essay by the collection's former archivist Magdalena Sagarzazu.'

This book contains very special photographs taken by Margaret Fay Shaw of Island life between 1924 and the 1950s and record a way of life in the Hebrides that has now all but disappeared and as such each photo selected is a wonderful glimpse of the past to those who love the islands. Unfortunately the editor has for some strange reason wasted six page section on photos of cats - 13 photos and then elsewhere in the book a further 3 cat photos. This in my view represents nothing of the islands just old photos of long dead cats. It would have been far more meaningful to have a few more pages of Margaret's unique photos of islanders and island life. I did see on Canna itself recently some awful garish painted pottery cats at various locations on the island which look totally out of place. It seems that someone on the island has a great love of these beasts but the book would have been better without them.

We just completed our first visit to the Outer Hebrides and the Uists, and this will sit on our table to remind us of our lovely time there. Fabulous photos of days gone by, and how people lived there.