This exhibition at Dumfries Museum contrasts late 19th century and early 20th century Dumfries shop-fronts, trades and street scenes with their modern day counterparts.
Created by Maybeth Jamieson, Rob Wells and Sue Greig the exhibition includes images of proprietors, owners and staff outside their shops both then and now. The organisers worked with Ewart Library Local Studies and Dumfries Museum to research old photographs of the town. Maybeth then photographed contemporary scenes from exactly the same position that the photographer must have stood 100 years ago.
The exhibition was previously shown at the Baker’s Oven in the town centre and members of the public have added further information about the scenes on show.
Chairman of Community and Customer Services Committee, Councillor Tom McAughtrie said; “This exhibition gives a fascinating insight into how much the streets of Dumfries have changed over the past 100 years although it is good to see some long running family businesses that are still going strong.”
Opening at Dumfries Museum on Saturday 5 September, the exhibition runs until 24 October.
On Thursday 22 October, 6.30pm – 8.30pm, Dumfries Musuem will host a special open evening. At 6.30pm Sue Greig (Researcher) and Maybeth Jamieson (Photographer) will give a short talk on how the exhibition was put together and some of the challenges they faced. They will also focus on a couple of the more intriguing images in the show. Coffee and tea will be served after the talk. Museum staff will be providing some cakes. If visitors enjoy home-baking they are invited to bring along some to share. There will be time to view the museum galleries, the “Time and Again” exhibition and discuss changes in the town centre before the museum closes at 8.30pm.
Throughout the exhibition there are fun family activities such as a children’s shop front, gallery trails, quizzes and colouring sheets to keep young visitors busy. During the October holidays the museum will host free family drop in activities. On Tuesday 13 October 10am – 12.30pm children can try out Natureprint photography, using light sensitive paper, and on Tuesday 20 October 10am – 12.30pm they can model their own grocery shop front in clay.
Photographs attached:
R C Kelly, Fishmongers, English Street. 1903. Robert Cumming Kelly (in hat) stands behind the horse.
Mustapha Guc and Ozlem Ergum moved to Dumfries from Turkey and opened Deliziose in 2009. (Photograph taken 26 September 2014).
