Sepia Saturday 53

Continuing my tour of on-line archives of old images, I have moved from Glasgow to Edinburgh (Luckily this is a virtual tour otherwise I suspect I would still be stuck in my car in the three foot of snow that has fallen on the M8) The above photograph dates all the way back to 1863 and shows the interior of Mar Lodge, near Braemar in Scotland. The National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) website contains the following description of the photograph which was taken by Victor Albert Prout.

"The Prince and Princess of Wales first attended the Braemar Gathering in 1863. The event is held on the first Saturday in September to this day. Large crowds gather to celebrate their Monarch as Chieftain of the gathering where pipe music, dance and games make for a wonderful atmosphere. On that occasion, the royal couple stopped at Mar Lodge, the Highland residence of the Earl and Countess of Fife. The royals only stayed three days, but their hosts were evidently exhausted, as they are shown here slumped in the armchairs in their drawing room, soon after their visitors left".

This particular photograph is one of the NGS's contribution to the Flickr Commons project. This wonderful service provides a repository for old images for which there are no known copyright restrictions. After tip-toeing through the maze that can be copyright for bloggers, it is a delight to find a stock of images that can be appreciated for their interest and beauty rather than their money-making potential.

So like the Earl and Countess of Fife, sit back in your armchairs and flick through your old photographs and choose one of them to share with everyone else on Sepia Saturday 53 which will take place on or around 11th December 2010. Like the Good Earl himself, just sign up on the Linkey List below.