Eilean
The Island Photography of Margaret Fay Shaw
Written by Margaret Fay Shaw / Edited by Fiona J. Mackenzie
£25.00
196 in stock
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Reviews
The beauty of the Hebrides and the warmth of the people and their vanished way of life are captured in 200 photographs taken over six decades from the 1920s by Margaret Fay Shaw
Country Life
Provides a new and vibrant addition to Margaret Faye Shaw’s work. She was a woman of so many talents that it is hard to do justice to such a range. This collection is a fine contribution to celebrating her rich life
Oban Times
A magical, inspirational book. Beautifully presented in a style reminiscent of a on old family photograph album
Undiscovered Scotland
A magnificent collection; South Uist is the soul of a remarkable anthology'
West Highland Free Press
The expression "treasure trove" tends to be overused in relation to such projects, but in this case it is entirely justified
Scotsman
About the Book
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.
The Authors
Margaret Fay Shaw
Margaret Fay Shaw’s life spans a century of change. Leaving home and school in Pennsylvania and Philadelphia aged 16, she crossed
to Scotland to spend a year at school near Glasgow. It was there that her love for Scotland was born. After studying music in New York and
Paris, she returned to live for six years with two sisters in South Uist. Life on the island had changed little from previous centuries, and material
comforts were few. But the island was rich in music and tradition, and Margaret Fay Shaw’s collection of Gaelic lore and song are amongst the
most important made this century, whilst her photography evocatively captures the aura of a vanished world.
Fiona J. Mackenzie
Fiona J. Mackenzie, an award-winning Gaelic singer and performing artist, is the archivist for the National Trust for Scotland in Canna
House.
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