Categories: uncategorized
Date: 18 December 2011 19:47:00
Popped up to Dundee for Surfing's Christmas bash on Saturday and she took us to look around the McManus, (the local art gallery / museum). As with alot of Scottish museums it has a wonderful mix of social and fairly contemporary historical stuff aswell as the normal types of museum exhibits on display.
Surfing looked firmly in my direction whilst saying, "there are some pictures of the queen somebody took upstairs do you want to go and see?" She knew the answer before asking. On one level I'd like to be an ardent republican, but there is also a part of me which is very firmly royalist. It's why I could never be anti-hunting; I don't particularly have a soft spot for animals but I do find myself strangely fond of supporting the aristocracy as an endangered species.
Anyway I digress - back to the photos. Turns out rather than some randomer the photographer was Cecil Beaton and this was an excellent retropsective of his pictures of H.R.H. aswell as throwing in a few others he had taken - primarily of other photographers who had influenced him. The collection comes from prints owned by the V&A who are doing some kind of franchise type tie up with the McManus from what I can make out.
There were some beautiful shots of both the queen as Princess Elizabeth and her mother as queen as well as official prints from the Coronation and shots of all her children as babies, toddlers or primary age children.
It was truly a beautiful exhibition which was a joy to wander around; added to by the jottings from Beaton's diaries/ notebooks which were next to specific photographs. It's there until the 8th Jan and so if you are at a loss of things to do this Christmas/ New Year why not consider an adventure.