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Island Camera: The Isles of Scilly in the photography of the Gibson family
'Island Camera' is a unique record of the Isles of Scilly made by a single family. Five members of the Gibson family - four generations with more than two hundred and forty years active work between them - have photographed the islands for more than a century.
Their technical standards have always been high and holding virtually a monopoly of professional photography in the islands - although they competed with one another - they have taken, and preserved, pictures of every aspect of the many-sided life there since the eighteen-sixties. Portraits, family groups, antiquities, shipwrecks, personalities, humorous postcards, royal visits, the flower industry and the changing landscape build a picture and a character of Scillonia.
An unusual factor in the quality of this book is that in many cases the photographs were taken with no view to profit but as a contribution to historical record.
The text, beginning with the first account of the unusual Gibson family, then makes an historical, topographical and social survey of the islands, St Mary's, St Agnes and St Martins, the 'off' islands and the rocks and seas about the group.
This is more than a picture history. It is a valuable companion and guide book for visitors to this loved and much loved offshore settlement.
John Arlott is nationally known as a broadcaster and for his writings in the 'Guardian'. As a country lover and frequent visitor to the Isles of Scilly he has acquired special knowledge of them over the years.
Their technical standards have always been high and holding virtually a monopoly of professional photography in the islands - although they competed with one another - they have taken, and preserved, pictures of every aspect of the many-sided life there since the eighteen-sixties. Portraits, family groups, antiquities, shipwrecks, personalities, humorous postcards, royal visits, the flower industry and the changing landscape build a picture and a character of Scillonia.
An unusual factor in the quality of this book is that in many cases the photographs were taken with no view to profit but as a contribution to historical record.
The text, beginning with the first account of the unusual Gibson family, then makes an historical, topographical and social survey of the islands, St Mary's, St Agnes and St Martins, the 'off' islands and the rocks and seas about the group.
This is more than a picture history. It is a valuable companion and guide book for visitors to this loved and much loved offshore settlement.
John Arlott is nationally known as a broadcaster and for his writings in the 'Guardian'. As a country lover and frequent visitor to the Isles of Scilly he has acquired special knowledge of them over the years.
110 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
About the author
John Arlott
144 books7 followersLeslie Thomas John Arlott was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet and wine connoisseur. With his poetic phraseology, he became a cricket commentator noted for his "wonderful gift for evoking cricketing moments" by the BBC.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 6, 2023
I have long been an admirer of John Arlott as a writer and broadcaster and had read many of his books but I was unaware that he had written this one so when I spotted it in a book shop, I just had to have it. And I am delighted that I acquired it because it is one of the most delightfully written books that I have read in a long time. I knew very little about the Isles of Scilly but very quickly I found myself immersed in its history and when the photographs arrived after a lengthy and informative introduction, it gave me an immediate sense of awareness of the place; it was almost as if I was there or had been there! I definitely felt a sense of belonging.
The Gibson family were remarkable and it is thanks to them that the 150 images in this book exist because beginning with John Gibson, 1827-1920, followed by sons Alexander Gendall Gibson, 1857-1944, Henry John Gibson, 1861-1937), and Alexander's son James Gibson, born 1901, and James' son Francis Edward Gibson, born 1929, the Gibson photography line was continued and flourished. And as equipment changed and became more portable, the extent of their photographs widened although, having said that john Gibson would transport heavy and cumbersome equipment to places that couldn't be imagined just to get a good image. Between them they represented 240 years of Gibson photography!
Their photographs display admirably the changes in the islands during the previous hundred years and demonstrate just how isolated certain parts of the main islands are but obviously the Scillonians loved the islands and each one had distinctive differences of physique and character and separate nicknames and there was fierce rivalry and loyalties when any competitions were held, particularly when it came to the pilots' gig racing. The pilots were strong rivals and used to rush to get to incoming ships so as to be first to get the job, which in turn often led to further jobs around the country.
Obviously ships and the sea play a big part in the life of the islanders and there is a great shot of the Penzance fleet making to windward after pilchard while shipbuilding was still in progress in an 1870 shot of Town Beach. There were abundant shipwrecks on the rocks around the islands with the, inaptly named Jolly Rocks at the southern end of St Mary's particularly notorious. The wrecks were many and varied from a Russian steamer, 'Aksai', that ran onto White Island in fog on 2 November 1875, a French crab fisherman's boat that ran aground beside Hanjague Rock, a Plymouth trawler, 'Reginald', that ran aground at Orth Hellick and ended up stranded at a ridiculous angle, so much so that the crew refursed to stay aboard and waited until she was floated off at the following full tide, to the 'Schiller', a German passenger liner from New York bound for Plymouth and Hamburg that struck the Retarrier ledges on the night of 7 May 1875 and despite the efforts of the lifeboat crew 311 of the 354 on board lost their lives.
I never realised that the Scilly Isles had a flourishing flower industry and there is a superb panoramic view of the wind-break hedges at St Martin's, from where flowers were originally taken in home-made wooden boxes that were eventually superseded by cardboard cartons. The 'Lyonesse' was the primary ship that transported the flowers to Penzance and from there they were taken elsewhere by train, named charmingly 'The Flower Special'.
Church picnics feature in the events section, as do royal visits by Edward VII in 1902 and Elizabeth II in 1967 and while I was aware that Harold Wilson had a holiday cottage at St Mary's, I never realised that in holiday sorts and sandals he had held a press conference on Samson while on holiday!
There are also fascinating photographs of wartime in the Scilly Isles including tank landing craft taking shelter during bad weather on the beach at St Mary's, an excellent chapter and photographs of the varied bird life of the islands with the Manx Shearwater enjoying nesting in their burrows on Annet and only emerging from them at night. Frank Gibson has also caught a Guillemot hatching its young with the chick just emerging from the shell; it is a superb photograph.
Plenty of scenic shots of the various islands enhance the book and one of my favourites is a photograph of the lighthouse-keeper's room inside the Bishop Light as it is complete with a row of books in what looks to be a cosy little hideaway!
Overall John Arlott certainly brings the Scilly Isles to life where 340 granite islands have stood up against the Western Ocean for at least 4,000 years, being inhabited before 1000BC. And the Gibson family has turned an observant and understanding eye on the last century of that life.
The Gibson family were remarkable and it is thanks to them that the 150 images in this book exist because beginning with John Gibson, 1827-1920, followed by sons Alexander Gendall Gibson, 1857-1944, Henry John Gibson, 1861-1937), and Alexander's son James Gibson, born 1901, and James' son Francis Edward Gibson, born 1929, the Gibson photography line was continued and flourished. And as equipment changed and became more portable, the extent of their photographs widened although, having said that john Gibson would transport heavy and cumbersome equipment to places that couldn't be imagined just to get a good image. Between them they represented 240 years of Gibson photography!
Their photographs display admirably the changes in the islands during the previous hundred years and demonstrate just how isolated certain parts of the main islands are but obviously the Scillonians loved the islands and each one had distinctive differences of physique and character and separate nicknames and there was fierce rivalry and loyalties when any competitions were held, particularly when it came to the pilots' gig racing. The pilots were strong rivals and used to rush to get to incoming ships so as to be first to get the job, which in turn often led to further jobs around the country.
Obviously ships and the sea play a big part in the life of the islanders and there is a great shot of the Penzance fleet making to windward after pilchard while shipbuilding was still in progress in an 1870 shot of Town Beach. There were abundant shipwrecks on the rocks around the islands with the, inaptly named Jolly Rocks at the southern end of St Mary's particularly notorious. The wrecks were many and varied from a Russian steamer, 'Aksai', that ran onto White Island in fog on 2 November 1875, a French crab fisherman's boat that ran aground beside Hanjague Rock, a Plymouth trawler, 'Reginald', that ran aground at Orth Hellick and ended up stranded at a ridiculous angle, so much so that the crew refursed to stay aboard and waited until she was floated off at the following full tide, to the 'Schiller', a German passenger liner from New York bound for Plymouth and Hamburg that struck the Retarrier ledges on the night of 7 May 1875 and despite the efforts of the lifeboat crew 311 of the 354 on board lost their lives.
I never realised that the Scilly Isles had a flourishing flower industry and there is a superb panoramic view of the wind-break hedges at St Martin's, from where flowers were originally taken in home-made wooden boxes that were eventually superseded by cardboard cartons. The 'Lyonesse' was the primary ship that transported the flowers to Penzance and from there they were taken elsewhere by train, named charmingly 'The Flower Special'.
Church picnics feature in the events section, as do royal visits by Edward VII in 1902 and Elizabeth II in 1967 and while I was aware that Harold Wilson had a holiday cottage at St Mary's, I never realised that in holiday sorts and sandals he had held a press conference on Samson while on holiday!
There are also fascinating photographs of wartime in the Scilly Isles including tank landing craft taking shelter during bad weather on the beach at St Mary's, an excellent chapter and photographs of the varied bird life of the islands with the Manx Shearwater enjoying nesting in their burrows on Annet and only emerging from them at night. Frank Gibson has also caught a Guillemot hatching its young with the chick just emerging from the shell; it is a superb photograph.
Plenty of scenic shots of the various islands enhance the book and one of my favourites is a photograph of the lighthouse-keeper's room inside the Bishop Light as it is complete with a row of books in what looks to be a cosy little hideaway!
Overall John Arlott certainly brings the Scilly Isles to life where 340 granite islands have stood up against the Western Ocean for at least 4,000 years, being inhabited before 1000BC. And the Gibson family has turned an observant and understanding eye on the last century of that life.
Displaying 1 of 1 review