Museum of Rural Life: 5 rare photos of rural life reveal record snow & eccentric Santa

The National Museum of Rural Life based near East Kilbride has released the rare photographs, taken from the Scottish Life Archive, have been released as downloadable Christmas cards for the first time.

They include record-breaking snowy scenes, an eccentric Father Christmas from Fife and a family portrait by one of Scotland’s earliest woman photographers - Lady Henrietta Gilmour.

Lady Henrietta Gilmour took up photography after the birth of her seventh and last child. She became a pioneer of the medium, capturing over a thousand images of Scottish country life, including a tender portrait of her children sledging in the grounds of Montrave House, Fife, in 1900.

Also shown is Mr Henry Watson, who posed as a characterful Father Christmas in Burntisland in 1909 - complete with fake beard and long, fur-trimmed coat decorated with dolls and toy animals.

Two snowy scenes capture the extreme winter of 1895, when Braemar in Aberdeenshire captured the lowest ever recorded temperature in the UK at minus 27.2°C.

Dr Ailsa Hutton, curator of Modern and Rural History at National Museums Scotland, said: “The Scottish Life Archive offers remarkable insight into all aspects of Scottish life, with 300 years of documentary and illustrative material.

“I am thrilled to have an opportunity to shine a light on this rich resource, and Scotland’s fascinating rural history, through these magical festive photographs. Whether it’s a quirky Santa Claus or a record-breaking snowy winter, I hope people enjoy sharing a little bit of Scottish rural history this Christmas.”