People

Donaldson M E M

Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson was born in England in 1876. As a young woman she sought out quiet and remote places to study natural history and became particularly attracted to the western highlands and islands of Scotland. As well as an author she was a passionate photographer who not only studied composition but also chemistry and optics, allowing her to process her own glass negatives, prints and enlargements. In addition to her dark-room she had a workshop in which she modified and improved her equipment.

She travelled extensively throughout the northern and western highlands taking photographs. She specialised in topographical scenes and portraits. Her biographer, the archaeologist and costume historian John Telfer Dunbar, collected around 1000 of her prints and, on his death, donated them to Inverness Museum. Her collection covers the period 1900 - 1930.

A biography, Herself: The Life and Photographs of M.E.M. Donaldson by John Telfer Dunbar was published in 1979.

She died in 1958.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

If a book listed in the bibliography below is available from the Highland Libraries it will be indicated by a book icon -

Dunbar, John Telfer
'Herself'
1979, the life and photographs of M.E.M Donaldson

Donaldson, M. E. M.
Wanderings in the Western Highlands and islands
1923

Donaldson, M. E. M.
Further wanderings, mainly in Argyll
1926

Donaldson, M. E. M.
Till Scotland melts in Flame: Talks on Scottish Church history for young people, etc
1949

Donaldson, M. E. M.
Islemen of Bride
1922

Donaldson, Mary Ethel Muir
Scotland's Suppressed History
1935

Donaldson, M. E. M.
The isles of flame : a romance of the Inner Hebrides in the days of Columba
1913

Am Baile was established with initial funding from the New Opportunities Fund and is now funded by The Highland Council and managed as part of Highland Libraries.

Copyright Images may be downloaded from Am Baile for personal use, and for non-commercial educational purposes such as in a classroom or teaching environment, or for private research. For any other use of images, such as in a publication or on a publicly available website, copyright clearance must be obtained. Please contact us and we will refer you to the relevant copyright owner.

We believe we have the owner's permission to publish images we know are in copyright. If you think we have inadvertently used your copyright material without permission, please contact us.

Design and Technology by Precedent