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In 1860 Capt. F.W.L. Thomas, who lived in Edinburgh, sailed to St Kilda to take the first ever photographs of this remote and fascinating island community. The photographs are hauntingly beautiful. The struggle for survival is etched on the faces of these unidentified St Kildans.  Who were they and would we ever know what happened to them? This is the story of the quest to give these St Kildans back their identity and to tell their story. Annemarie Gibson is an Edinburgh based producer of documentary style films for visitor centres and exhibitions. It was when she worked as an archaeologist on the Western Isles and would sometimes catch a glimpse of St Kilda marooned far out in the Atlantic Ocean that her fascination with St Kilda began.

This lecture will now be run online on Microsoft Teams; booking is essential as attendees will be sent joining instructions a day or so beforehand. If you do not hear from us an hour or so before, please check your junk or spam folder. If joining us on a mobile device (tablet or smartphone) you will need to install Teams onto your device beforehand, and also Microsoft Powerpoint if your device is older so that you can view any slides. The apps can be downloaded free from the App Store or the Google Play Store.

Distant lives: The Earliest Photographs of St Kilda