A SUITCASE of items belonging to a German aristocrat who documented life in Scotland’s rural and remote communities has been acquired by a museum.
Dumfries Museum already owns a collection of the photographs of Dr Werner Kissling, whose extensive body of work helped record vanishing ways of life amongst crofters, farmers and fisherfolk.
Born into a wealthy family in 1895, he entered the German diplomatic service but resigned in response to the rise of the Nazi party in 1933.
Relocating to Scotland, he travelled around the Western Isles documenting local architecture and practices.
Kissling was so enthralled by what he found that he also made a short film titled Eriskay – A Poem of Remote Lives. After a period in New Zealand and another interned during the Second World War, Kissling – whose brother was involved in the failed assassination plot against Hitler – returned to Scotland and worked in the Scottish Borders, later settling in Dumfries, where he died in 1988.
The museum there now holds much of what he left behind – photographs of local mills and farm buildings, haaf net fishing, blacksmithing, and clogging.
The leather suitcase, which contains books and other items, will now join that collection, and staff are appealing to anyone with stories about the “well-known figure” – who undertook knowledge on behalf of the museum – to share them to build up the information about his life and work.
They are also seeking further details about the images he created around the region, many of which date from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Councillor Andy Ferguson, chair of communities at Dumfries and Galloway Council, said: “Dr Kissling’s photographs are a valuable record of the recent history of our region.
“It is vital that these photographs are preserved in the museum, alongside memories of Dr Kissling as a photographer and as a member of the community.”
Councillor John Martin, vice-chair of communities, said: “Collaborative approaches to preserving local history demonstrates the important relationship between the museum and the contributions of the local community.”
Anyone with memories of Kissling, or who may have information about the photographs he took around Dumfries and Galloway, is asked to contact the museum on 01387 253374 or email kirsty.kernohan@dumgal.gov.uk.
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