The Gray Family. The father is Augustus Gray. The eldest son (top centre) served in and survived the First World War. The youngest son (bottom centre) served in and survived the Second World War. The image of the younger son has been added to the photograph at a later date. Helen Gray (far left) was the mother of Helen Tinlin (née Baird). They lived near Glasgow in an old manse. Source: Edinburgh Collected, Edinburgh Libraries.
Edinburgh Libraries is collaborating with the Living Memory Association to preserve Edinburgh’s past through its digital images archive, Edinburgh Collected.
Described as a community archive of Edinburgh memories, Edinburgh Collected is an online collection where people can browse or share photographs and memories of Edinburgh’s past. Users can also upload pictures or save them to an online scrapbook. Even old newspaper clippings have been uploaded.
Edinburgh Libraries said on its blog, “The Living Memory Association have been collecting old family and personal photographs donated by members of the public since 2002. Most are of Edinburgh, and the majority are from the 20th century, but the oldest photographs date from 1850.”
The online collection will host more than 2,500 pictures provided by the Leith-based Living Memory Association, adding to what is already the most extensive historic photography database in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Libraries was facing the issue of sourcing photographs to expand their collection into the future. In the past, boxes of photos were donated, whereas today images are far more likely to be published online through Facebook, Flickr and Pinterest.
Screen shot from Edinburgh Collected, Edinburgh Libraries.
Edinburgh Collected was developed as an answer to this challenge of gathering old photos – an online hub giving both local people and anyone around the world with a love of Edinburgh the opportunity to make their photographs part of the city’s heritage collection, by sharing their family, friends, city and holiday photos and personal memories, on the website.
Edinburgh’s Central Library already hosts the largest collection of material about the Capital in existence, which has been expanded digitally through Edinburgh Collected. It is hoped that many more local history groups will contribute material to help the digital resource grow.
Councillor Ian Perry, Education, Children and Families convener, said, “Edinburgh Collected is a wonderful resource for the public to share, discuss and search their memories of our city, so it’s fantastic that we’re now able to benefit from the Living Memory Association’s own collection’s rich and varied collection of images.
“From 1930s baby portraits to Christmas parties of the ‘60s, these photographs tell the story of our past through the eyes of those who live here, and I would encourage people to take a look and share their own memories.”
Miles Tubb, project worker, Living Memory Association, said: “It’s always been our goal to make the archive as widely available as possible. Our presence on Edinburgh Collected means we can now be part of a network of archives. The opportunity for creating a platform for local and social history archives like ours is fantastic.”
Copyright
Photos in Edinburgh Collected can be used for personal, educational, and non-commercial purposes. Information about the use of the photos is provided in the terms and conditions.
While some people are not comfortable sharing their old family photos online, others will see this as way to ensure photos of their ancestors are preserved for many years.
