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Treasure 96: Aberdeen Intelligencer
315 There are currently two daily newspapers in Aberdeen - "The Press and Journal" and "Evening Express". The Evening Express first appeared in January 1879 but The Press and Journal has a much longer history, being first published in January 1748 as the Aberdeen Journal - notable as the first newspaper to be published in northern Scotland.
Its editor was James Chalmers, son of the Rev. James Chalmers, Professor of Divinity at Marischal College. Over the years there have been several rivals to the Journal's initial monopoly but the earliest was first published on 3rd October 1752 by Francis Douglas and William Murray. Their paper was The Aberdeen Intelligencer and it was supportive of the Jacobite cause whereas the Journal had Whig sympathies. The earliest original issue of the Aberdeen Journal held in our Local Collections is for 1758, but microfilm copies of the Journal from 1748 onwards are available for consultation in the Information Centre. The Journal notes the forthcoming appearance of its rival in an advert in 1752 and subsequent notices give some idea of the contest between the two papers which ended in 1757 when there appears to have been an agreement that Douglas and Murray should gain an interest in the Journal while ceasing to publish their own newspaper. The last issue appeared on 22 February 1757.
Find out more about the rivalry between the two newspapers, and how it was overcome; in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition on the touchscreens. Treasure 97: Aberdeen Grammar School Art Club
316 The work of the Aberdeen Grammar School Art Club can be seen in the collection of sketch books held in Local Studies for the years 1920 - 1923 and 1926 & 1928, and as supplements in some of the school magazines which also describe the early activities of the club.
The Art Club was started by the enthusiastic Art Master, C.R. Leslie Millar, in 1917. There was an initial membership of 25 boys with H. Morgan acting as Secretary, who was later complemented for his delightful posters and sketches on the notice boards. The club would go out sketching on Saturdays from mid-May and throughout June, working in pencil, oils, water-colours and pastels.
The first sketch book was produced for Christmas 1919 with introductory club notes. It's a tribute to the art masters that they did much to develop the appreciation of art and encourage individual talent among the pupils. The work of the club was favourably commented on by His Majesty's Inspectors and at the Aberdeen Artists Society Exhibition in December 1921 two club members were successful in having pictures accepted.
Have a look at some fine examples of the art club's sketches in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition on the touchscreens.
Treasure 98: Kissing postcards
317 To celebrate Valentine's Day, we have chosen to display four historic postcards from our collections conveying messages of love and friendship.
The postcards are slightly smaller than those in circulation nowadays and they all have a different title, written in capital letters and in colour on the top of the cards. Up until the end of the 19th century, most postcards presented an undivided back; England was the first country to divide the back of the postcards in 1902, before France in 1904, Germany in 1905 and the United States in 1907. It allowed people to write both the message and the address of their recipient on the same side. The front side was then mainly used for the picture or artwork. Postcards can be a useful tool for learning more about society and people's interests and sense of humour.
The text on the postcard entitled 'The Science of Kissing' is from a publication called The People. It first appeared in British newspapers in 1866 and has been republished many times since. Amusingly, the author of the text gives some tips to improve a kissing performance and describes in detail what a proper kiss on the lips should feel like: "People will kiss, yet not one in a hudred [sic] knows how to extract bliss from lovely lips, any more than he knows how to make diamonds from charcoal. And yet it is easy, at least for us. First know whom you are going to kiss. Don't make a mistake, although a mistake may be good."
Want to find out more about the art of kissing in time for St. Val's Day? Check out our interactive exhibition on the touchscreen! Treasure 99: Local Fiction Collection
318 A lesser known part of our Local Studies stock is our substantial collection of local fiction.
The collection ranges from well-known figures like Lewis Grassic Gibbon to more obscure authors, largely forgotten in the history of literature. As way of an introduction to this sizable collection we will consider some of the lesser known authors in the collection and explore their lives. During the years of 1892 to 1894 Aberdeen City and Shire was home to the eccentric artist and man of letters, Frederick William Rolfe (1860-1913), also known as Baron Corvo. Rolfe was a Londoner who came from a strict and respectable family of Dissenters. He left school early before working as a schoolmaster and tutor. In Local Studies we have a copy of perhaps his most challenging work, Don Renato: An Ideal Content. It was published posthumously by Chatto & Windus in 1963. This is an experimental novel, taking the form of a diary of a fictional chaplain and physician in 16th century Rome.
Another author in our collection is William Gordon Stables (c.1837 - 1910), born in Aberchirder, who was the son of a vintner in Marnock and later Inverurie. During his time in the Navy and later in the merchant services, he worked and travelled all over the world including the Mediterranean, Africa, India and the South Seas. He wrote over 130 books and is primarily remembered as an author of boy's own adventure stories such as The Cruise of the Snowbird (1882), Wild Adventures Round the Pole (1883), and From Pole to Pole (1886). We hold a large number of Stables' novels. The volumes, published by a variety of companies, are often quite beautiful with intricate designs and illustrations on the binding and inside to accompany the story.
To learn about more interesting authors in our collection, have a browse in the Treasures from our Collections interactive exhibition. Treasure 100: Pugin books and the Gothic Revival
319 The Gothic Revival is a term used to describe a movement in art, architecture and design from the mid-18th century to the late 19th century that was heavily influenced by medieval gothic style. In its beginnings it was an architectural style adopted largely by the rich and powerful for their grand houses and follies, and coincided with the rise in gothic literature such as Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto (1764), and M.G. Lewis's The Monk (1796). However, towards the middle of the 19th century, the gothic style was beginning to filter into all aspects of private and public life, and one of the leading figures in this trend was Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, son of the French born architect Auguste Pugin. In our collection we have two books by A.W.N. Pugin, and they are on display until the end of February. The first is a volume published in Edinburgh in the late 19th century that includes a number of publications by Pugin from the 1830s:
· Details of Antient Timber Houses of the 15th & 16th Centuries Selected from those existing at Rouen, Caen, Beauvais, Gisors, Abbeville, Strasbourg, etc. drawn on the spot [London, 1836]
· Gothic Furniture in the Style of the 15th Century designed and etched by A.W.N. Pugin [London 1835]
· Designs for Gold and Silversmiths [London 1836]
· Designs for Iron and Brass Work in the style of XV and XVI Centuries [London 1836]
The second is a very rare and highly detailed 1875 edition of floral designs intended for stencilling that was originally published in 1849; Floriated Ornament: A Series of Thirty-One Designs. Both books are rich in design and detail, and perfectly demonstrate the Victorian fervour for the application of gothic design in all aspects of their decoration, from architecture to interiors, tableware to jewellery.
View our Treasure exhibition on the interactive screen to see some more beautiful engravings from these unique publications. |