Finding Dr Garvie

The exhibition showcases some of the exceptional photographs of island life, taken by Beatrice Garvie when she was doctor on North Ronaldsay, during the 1930s and '40s.

Garvie took many hundreds of photographs of men and women at work on the shore and in the fields; of children, families, and the babies she had also delivered, often giving copies of her photographs to the people who were in them.

After her death the albums which she had kept were returned to Orkney at the request of the people of North Ronaldsay. Since 2020 islanders have worked together with Fiona Sanderson to rediscover the story of Dr Garvie, and her photography, developing a new body of collaborative work, also on show in the exhibition.

Fiona Sanderson is an Orkney artist, whose work is often collaborative, and community focused. Fiona commented: "My connection with North Ronaldsay, and the Garvie photographs is very personal, since I grew up with stories of my Grandmother’s ‘home island’. Dr Garvie’s photographs are an exceptional chronicle of island life in the 1930s. In them, I found my own family, and put pictures to the stories I grew up with. This creative work with islanders to rekindle the story of Dr Garvie and her remarkable life, even before she came to North Ronaldsay, has led to some exciting discoveries, and revealed a lot of hidden histories, too."

On Saturday 15 March at 2pm, Fiona will give an informal walk and talk to introduce the exhibition, followed by a talk by Lesley Booth, heritage knitwear specialist, at 3.15pm on ‘Reconstructing the Garvie Sweater and Tammie.’

Lesley Booth first saw the photograph of Dr Garvie wearing the Fair Isle sweater in Glean: Early 20th Century women filmmakers and photographers in Scotland at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh in 2022/23. Her interest in the sweater led to extensive research into the colour ways and styles of Fair Isle knitting during the 1920s and ‘30s. Her talk will cover the process of reconstructing a pattern from a single, black and white photograph. Her finished ‘Garvie’ sweater and tammie are included in the exhibition.

These events are free but spaces are limited so booking is advised to avoid disappointment. (Email: info@pierartscentre.com or Tel: 01856 850 209)

On Saturday 26 April at 2pm there will be a talk on ‘Early Women Doctors in Orkney’ by the Orkney Women Doctors Research Group at the Orkney Library and Archive. The event is free but booking essential through the Orkney Library and Archive (Tel: 01856 873 166)

Finding Dr Garvie is on display until Saturday 26 April. The Pier Arts Centre is open Tuesday-Saturday 10:30am-5pm. Admission is free.

This early stages of this project were supported through Culture Collective a co-creative community arts project funded by Creative Scotland and managed in Orkney by the Pier Arts Centre.