In the Bleak Mid Winter

The story of shepherding begins some 5,000 years ago in Asia Minor.

As the name implies, a shepherd is a sheep herder — derived from the Old English sceaphierde, where sceap means sheep and hierde, herder.

Kept for their milk, meat and most importantly their wool, sheep flock together for fear of danger and instinctively follow any of their group that takes the lead.

It is this herding characteristic that made sheep farming comparatively easy and low cost for most of the year.

With just a crook and a dog, a lone shepherd could control a flock and lead them to market for shearing in the spring.

The sheepdog helped keep the flock together and protect it from predators such as wolves.

But when winter came, it was a different story.

Cold, lonely, and bleak.

Since the fertile lowlands and river valleys were used to grow grains and cereals, sheep farming was restricted to the rugged upland and mountainous areas.

One such area was the Highlands of Scotland.

Constantly on the move, the flock grazed as best it could, navigating woodlands, streams, open fields, stone walls, and wooden fences.

Blizzards. Deep snow. Snow on snow.

Until the thaw arrived once more in the spring.

19th-century artist Joseph Farquharson captured the shepherd’s winter struggle perfectly.

There is something ethereal in these windswept, yet romantic paintings from the Scottish Highlands.

Perhaps someone was watching over the shepherd, his flock, and his trusty dog.

The Stormy Blast by Joseph Farquharson, 1898
The Stormy Blast by Joseph Farquharson, 1898
Study for At Freezing Point by Joseph Farquharson
Study for At Freezing Point by Joseph Farquharson
Sheep in the Snow by Joseph Farquharson
Sheep in the Snow by Joseph Farquharson
Sheep in a Snowstorm by Joseph Farquharson, 1893
Sheep in a Snowstorm by Joseph Farquharson, 1893
O'er Snow Clad Pastures, When the Sky Grew Red by Joseph Farquharson
O’er Snow Clad Pastures, When the Sky Grew Red by Joseph Farquharson
Herding Sheep in a Winter Landscape at Sunset by Joseph Farquharson
Herding Sheep in a Winter Landscape at Sunset by Joseph Farquharson
In Deep Mid Winter by Joseph Farquharson
In Deep Mid Winter by Joseph Farquharson
The Joyless Winter Day by Joseph Farquharson, 1883
The Joyless Winter Day by Joseph Farquharson, 1883
The Edge of the Wood by Joseph Farquharson
The Edge of the Wood by Joseph Farquharson
The Day Was Sloping towards His Western Bower by Joseph Farquharson, 1912
The Day Was Sloping towards His Western Bower by Joseph Farquharson, 1912
Blow, Blow, Thou Wintery Wind by Joseph Farquharson
Blow, Blow, Thou Wintery Wind by Joseph Farquharson
Evening at Finzean by Joseph Farquharson
Evening at Finzean by Joseph Farquharson
The Sun Peeped o'er yon Southland Hills by Joseph Farquharson
The Sun Peeped o’er yon Southland Hills by Joseph Farquharson
The Shortening Winter's Day is near a Close
The Shortening Winter’s Day is near a Close
Through the Crisp Air by Joseph Farquharson, 1902
Through the Crisp Air by Joseph Farquharson, 1902
A Walk in the Snow by Joseph Farquharson
A Walk in the Snow by Joseph Farquharson
West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson
West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson
When snow the pasture sheets by Joseph Farquharson, 1915
When snow the pasture sheets by Joseph Farquharson, 1915
When Snow the Pasture Sheets by Joseph Farquharson
When Snow the Pasture Sheets by Joseph Farquharson
When the West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson, 1910
When the West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson, 1910
When the West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson, 1901
When the West with Evening Glows by Joseph Farquharson, 1901
Where Winter Holds its Sway by Joseph Farquharson
Where Winter Holds its Sway by Joseph Farquharson
Winter by Joseph Farquharson
Winter by Joseph Farquharson
Winter by Joseph Farquharson
Winter by Joseph Farquharson
A Winter's Morning by Joseph Farquharson
A Winter’s Morning by Joseph Farquharson
Sun Pepped o'er the Hill by Joseph Farquharson
Sun Pepped o’er the Hill by Joseph Farquharson
The Sun Had Closed the Winter's Day by Joseph Farquharson, 1904
The Sun Had Closed the Winter’s Day by Joseph Farquharson, 1904
The Sun Fast Sinks in the West by Joseph Farquharson
The Sun Fast Sinks in the West by Joseph Farquharson

Life in a Scottish Fishing Village during the Victorian Era

Newhaven is a small harbor port within the city of Edinburgh and a designated conservation area.

Once a thriving fishing village, in the midst of the 1840s industrial boom, it became the subject of the world’s first photographic social documentary project.

When photography was still in its infancy, David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson were among the first to use an artistic approach, producing hundreds of Rembrandt-like portraits during their partnership years.

The early paper-negative process didn’t allow them to take photographs of fishermen out at sea, so they concentrated on the working lives of those on shore, particularly the women of Newhaven.

Dressed in their traditional striped aprons and woolen petticoats, the women would bait lines, help unload and clean a fresh catch, then haul it up the hill to Edinburgh in specially made willow baskets to sell at the fish market.

At a time when the Industrial Revolution was in full swing and providing jobs at the expense of cottage industries, Newhaven was a shining example of how a traditional fishing community could coexist alongside the great factories.

Evident in the faces of the good honest workers is the grit and determination to keep their tradition alive—qualities that were enhanced by the gritty medium used by Hill and Adamson.

The images were assembled into albums and presented to the Royal Scottish Academy in 1852.

Newhaven Family
Newhaven Family
Newhaven Boy
Newhaven Boy
David Young and Unknown Man, Newhaven
David Young and Unknown Man, Newhaven
Newhaven
Newhaven
Newhaven Group
Newhaven Group
Newhaven Group
Newhaven Group
Newhaven Group
Newhaven Group
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives (enhanced)
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwives
Newhaven Fishwife
Newhaven Fishwife
Newhaven Fishwife
Newhaven Fishwife
Newhaven Fishwife
Newhaven Fishwife (enhanced)
Newhaven Fishwife
Newhaven Fishwife
Newhaven Fishermen
Newhaven Fishermen
Newhaven Fisherman
Newhaven Fisherman
Newhaven Fisherman with Two Boys
Newhaven Fisherman with Two Boys
Newhaven Fisherman
Newhaven Fisherman
Newhaven Fisherman
Newhaven Fisherman
Newhaven Children
Newhaven Children
Newhaven Boys
Newhaven Boys

Happy New Year!

“Auld Lang Syne” means “old long since”, “long long ago”, “days gone by”, or “old times”.

Written by Robert Burns in 1788, it is a Scots poem set to folk music and traditionally sung at the conclusion of New Year gatherings in Scotland and around the world.

Let us contemplate the “old times” together with a hauntingly beautiful version of Auld Lang Syne and a collection of historical paintings and drawings.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Robert Burns

John Masey Wright and John Rogers' c. 1841 illustration of Auld Lang Syne.
John Masey Wright and John Rogers’ c. 1841 illustration of Auld Lang Syne.
The Auld Farmer's New Year's Gift to His Auld Mare Maggie by Richard Ansdell - 1851.
The Auld Farmer’s New Year’s Gift to His Auld Mare Maggie by Richard Ansdell – 1851.
New Year's Eve at Grandfather's by Friedrich Ortlieb - 1873
New Year’s Eve at Grandfather’s by Friedrich Ortlieb – 1873
Auld Lang Syne by Sir John Watson Gordon, 1851
Auld Lang Syne by Sir John Watson Gordon, 1851
New Year's Eve at the Savoy Restaurant in the Savoy Hotel. Scene from The Illustrated London News, 1907.
New Year’s Eve at the Savoy Restaurant in the Savoy Hotel. Scene from The Illustrated London News, 1907.
New Year's Day in New Amsterdam by George Henry Boughton - 1870
New Year’s Day in New Amsterdam by George Henry Boughton – 1870
Toasting the New Year in Germany, 1885
Toasting the New Year in Germany, 1885
Waiting for Calls on New-Year's Day by Winslow Homer, 1869.
Waiting for Calls on New-Year’s Day by Winslow Homer, 1869.
The New Year's Day Parade by Cornelius Krieghoff - 1871
The New Year’s Day Parade by Cornelius Krieghoff – 1871
New Year's Morning by Henry Mosler, 1888
New Year’s Morning by Henry Mosler, 1888
A New Year's Nocturne, New York by Frederick Childe Hassam - 1892
A New Year’s Nocturne, New York by Frederick Childe Hassam – 1892
Old and New Year. Cover of the Calendar for 1905 by Konstantin Somov - 1904
Old and New Year. Cover of the Calendar for 1905 by Konstantin Somov – 1904

A New Year. A fresh start. New Beginnings.

Make history this new year.

Happy New Year!

A Tour of Magical Scotland in the Victorian Era

Within a single generation, the Victorians built a vast railway network connecting nearly every town in Scotland.

Imagine a Scotland shrouded in mist, the only sounds the mournful cry of bagpipes and the rhythmic clop of hooves on cobbled streets. That was the reality before the industrial age dawned, before the Victorians, fueled by ambition and innovation, weaved a web of steel across the rugged landscape.

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The late 19th century saw Scotland transformed by the railway revolution, its isolated towns and cities tethered by tracks that snaked through valleys and soared over viaducts.

It wasn’t a simple feat. Mountains had to be pierced with tunnels, rivers bridged with daring structures, and the very land wrestled into submission. The Highland Railway, a 442-mile behemoth, carved its path through the granite spine of the north, defying blizzards and treacherous terrain. Steam-powered locomotives, marvels of engineering in themselves, snorted and puffed, conquering gradients that would make a mountain goat wince.

This wasn’t just about connecting dots on a map. The railways were arteries, pumping life into the Scottish economy. Coal from the Lowlands found its way to hungry furnaces in Glasgow and beyond, while the bounty of the Highlands – fish, grain, and the famed Blackface sheep – reached markets far beyond the reach of horse and cart. Tourism, too, blossomed. Victorian gentlemen seeking a touch of the wild could now whisk themselves north in luxurious carriages, gazing at the brooding beauty of Loch Ness from the comfort of their seats.

But the impact wasn’t just economic. The railways shrunk Scotland, bringing communities closer. Highlanders who had known only their glens could now rub shoulders with city dwellers, exchanging stories and cultures over steaming cups of tea. News and ideas travelled at the speed of steam, accelerating a sense of national identity. Children from remote villages could attend universities in faraway cities, dreams no longer shackled by geography.

The railway age wasn’t all sunshine and iron bridges. Environmental scars were left, communities disrupted, and lives lost in construction accidents. Yet, the sheer audacity of the endeavor, the way it reshaped Scotland both physically and socially, leaves an undeniable mark. Today, those Victorian iron veins, still humming with trains, stand as a testament to the spirit of a bygone era, a reminder that even the most rugged landscapes can be tamed by the relentless march of progress.

Relax and soak up the magic of this enchanting country of castles, lochs, and gothic cities.

Listen to this 19th-century Scottish ballad called “Time Wears Awa” by Thomas Elliot as you meander through these beautiful colorized images from the 1890s.

Time wears away error and polishes truth in this thought-provoking song of love and growing old together.

Kilchurn Castle, Loch Awe, Scotland
Kilchurn Castle, Loch Awe, Scotland
Loch Achray and Ben Venue, Trossachs, Scotland
Ellen’s Isle, Loch Katrine, Trossachs, Scotland
Loch Katrine path by the Loch, Trossachs, Scotland
Silver Strand and Ben Venue, Trossachs, Scotland
Hotel and Ben Lui, Loch Awe, Scotland
Looking S.E. (i.e., Southeast), Kyles of Bute, Scotland
Perth from Bridgend, Scotland
Cathedral and castle from the Ness, Inverness, Scotland
Carrick Castle, Lochgoil (i.e. Loch Goil), Scotland
Castle Campbell, Dollar, Scotland
Doune Castle from the Teith
Drummond Castle from S.W. (i.e., Southwest), Scotland
Dunottar Castle, Stonehaven, Scotland
Caerlaverock Castle, Dumfries, Scotland
The castle, Rothsay (i.e. Rothesay), Scotland
Threave Castle, Castle Douglas, Scotland
Balmoral Castle, Scotland
Dunsky Castle, Pitlochrie (i.e. Portpatrick), Scotland
Esplanade from pier, Helensburgh, Scotland
Oban Bay, Oban, Scotland
View on the Tay, Perth, Scotland
Old bridge, Stirling, Scotland
Inverness from castle, Scotland
Irvine from the river, Scotland
Ballochmyle Viaduct, Mauchline, Scotland
University of Glasgow, Scotland
George Square, Glasgow, Scotland
Union Terrace, Aberdeen, Scotland
Glasgow Bridge, Glasgow, Scotland
High Street, Hawick, Scotland
Princess Street (i.e. Princes Street), the castle, and Scott Monument, Edinburgh, Scotland
Princess Street (i.e. Princes Street) and castle from Scott’s Monument, Edinburgh, Scotland