More Archie Chisholm Photographs and Postcards

Since Thirsty Books published my book The Photographs of Archie Chisholm in 2018 I have continued to research the social history of Archie’s ancestral family, known as the Chisholms of Lietry. This cadet family of Clan Chisholm was founded by Archie’s great-great-grandfather Colin Chisholm in the early eighteenth century when he moved to the farm of Lietry in Glen Cannich, Inverness-shire. The study of the later generations has identified new sources of Archie’s photographs.

No. 43: Archie’s wife Helen with their daughters Helen, Margaret and Mairi, taken most-likely in 1903.

A bound typescript dated 1897 has been located in the special collections library of the University of Aberdeen written by the American writer and traveller William Carson. An oddball text written in the style of Boswell and Johnson it narrates Carson’s journey to the Hebrides with Alfred Harmsworth (later to become Lord Northcliffe). Nevertheless it contains accounts of conversations with Archie Chisholm and his disparaging remarks about Sir John Campbell-Orde, the owner of the North Uist Estate. Interestingly it is illustrated with photographs given to Carson by Archie including one of the eviction series. Also these feature what I believe to be the only photographic image of Sir John himself at a public auction which could indeed have been taken by Archie.

Recently Am Baile, part of the Highland Archive Service, has acquired a collection of lantern slides from a source in Grantown, Highland. The collection contains seventeen reproductions of photographs previously identified as Archie’s work in my book, or sufficiently similar for a firm attribution. One of particular interest is an eviction scene not previously seen. In addition, based on style, subject and location there are thirteen other images that are probably or possibly Archie’s work.

No. 29: Another typical Archie panorama of Lochmaddy.

I have also found a few ‘new’ postcards from Archie’s Cairt Phostail series, including several featuring images of soldiers and barracks of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders dating from 1908. Archie’s son Alexander was commissioned into the QOCH in August 1915, but sadly was killed in action near Arras, France in September 1917. The war proved a double tragedy for the Chisholm family as his nephew on his wife’s side, John Moran, also commissioned in the QOCH, was also killed in action at the Somme in March 1918.

So the research continues and hopefully it will generate another publication at some stage.

Michael Cope