The Howarth-Loomes collection, was previously on loan to the organisation, has been acquired under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.
An important collection of photography and photographic equipment has acquired by National Museums Scotland under the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.
Dating from the 1840s to the mid-20th century and comprising over 17,000 objects, the collection has been accepted in lieu of inheritance tax by His Majesty’s Government and allocated to National Museums Scotland by Arts Council England and Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture.
The collection, which has a particular focus on the Victorian period, was amassed by the late Bernard Howarth-Loomes and his wife Alma over four decades.
The collection has been on long-term loan to National Museums Scotland since 2002. It is being cared for at the National Museums Collection Centre, where curators will research the stories of some of the people who produced and consumed photography from the 1840s to the mid-20th century.
A crowdsourcing project is currently underway, wherein a global bank of volunteers is creating a database of key words and writing alt text for the photographs in the collection which show the International Exhibition of 1862.
Julie Gibb, Assistant Curator of Science at National Museums Scotland said: “The Howarth-Loomes collection is one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the UK, and I’m delighted that it’s been saved for the nation through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. It offers a fascinating glimpse into Victorian society, and we now have the opportunity to research it; bringing subjects to life and finding out more about the people both in front of and behind the lens.”
Victoria stereography
In the mid-1960s, Bernard Howarth-Loomes bought a stereographoscope – a device for viewing photographs and postcards – in an antique shop. National Museums Scotland said the purchase sparked a lifelong interest in Victorian photography and a particular passion for stereoscopic – or 3D – photography.
Stereophotography makes up the most substantial part of the collection, with 11,000 stereographs and 200 stereoscopes.
In addition to examples from well-known commercial photographers such as Francis Frith and George Washington Wilson, the collection also contains work by smaller, provincial photographers who recorded scenes of their local area to be sold to the growing tourist market.
Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture said: “I welcome this latest and permanent addition to National Museums Scotland’s world-class collections. The Howarth-Loomes collection offers fascinating insights into early photography and life in the Victorian-era, and its acquisition through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme ensures that it can be researched and enjoyed for generations to come.”
Image
Tintype, depicting a family group of parents and two boys on the beach by the wheels of a bathing hut, ‘Our family’, by an unknown photographer, 1880s – 1890s