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Working Life

Blacksmithing

James MacGill in Stockmoss

Description:

 

Portrait of retired blacksmith James MacGill in Stockmoss, Auchencairn. Dr Werner Kissling, 1956.

 

This is a portrait of James MacGill, a retired blacksmith. It shows him standing outside, looking slightly away from the camera.

 

Many blacksmiths didn't want to or couldn't afford to retire. By the 1950s they were less likely to pass the trade down to their children. However, James MacGill had passed his business down to his son who was the blacksmith in Stockmoss at the time this photograph was taken.

 

Dr Werner Kissling (1895-1988) was a German photographer and ethnographer who spent most of his life documenting Scottish crafts, architecture, and agricultural practices. He was associated with Dumfries Museum from the mid-1950s until his death in 1988.

 

With thanks to the School of Scottish Studies Archives for additional information.

Source:
Dumfries Museum & Camera Obscura
Accession number:
PP/KISSLING COLLECTION, blacksmithing/10
Digital Number:
DMPG358n
Creation Date:
1956
Copyright:
Dumfries & Galloway Council