Elissa shares details of this upcoming exhibition. Ed
A major exhibition of photographs depicting the changing face of the Isle of Wight since the 1860s opens at Dimbola Museum and Galleries in Freshwater on 23rd February.
The photographs, which include countryside and coastal views, shipwrecks, transport and social scenes, are drawn from the collections of Professor Robin McInnes OBE of St Lawrence and Andy Butler of Ventnor.
Collecting for decades
Robin McInnes is a geologist, coastal scientist and art historian; his friend Andy Butler is a retired commercial fisherman, wildlife photographer and past president of the Isle of Wight Natural History and Archaeological Society.
Both friends have been collecting glass plate negatives, lantern slides, stereoscopic views and original photographs for over forty years; a small number of these have been exhibited at the numerous art exhibitions that they have arranged since the early 1980s.
Images made copyright free
After reviewing their collections of several thousand photographs and IW landscape art images the best of these have been digitised and are to be made publicly available, copyright free.
They are likely to be of interest to local researchers, authors, schools and other interested residents and visitors.
Supporters
The collation of the images, digitizing and the Dimbola exhibition has been kindly supported by the Daisie Rich Trust, the Delphie Lakeman Trust and Dr Brian Hinton MBE of Julia Margaret Cameron Trust.
The exhibition is open Tuesdays – Sundays 10am – 4pm. The Isle of Wight Observed will be shown in the Olympus and Charles Hay Galleries.
Exhibition Preview
The private view will be held on Friday 22nd February from 12pm-2pm.
All are welcome, refreshments will be available.
