Home / Arts and Entertainment / Hidden Archive: Edinburgh Photographer's Lost Legacy
Hidden Archive: Edinburgh Photographer's Lost Legacy
25 Jul
Summary
- Over 80,000 photos by Sandra George are being preserved and digitized.
- An exhibition showcases 200 of her photographs, her largest display yet.
- Her work documented communities, protests, and identity in changing times.
Sandra George, who arrived in Edinburgh in 1980, dedicated over three decades to photographing local communities in areas like Craigmillar and Wester Hailes. Her extensive archive, comprising more than 80,000 photos, was largely unseen during her lifetime.
Following her passing in 2013, the heritage organization Craigmillar Now undertook the task of preserving and digitizing her vast collection. This effort is now bringing her work to a wider audience through exhibitions.
The City Arts Centre is currently hosting the largest exhibition of her work to date, featuring 200 photographs. The exhibition also includes her cameras, equipment, and notebooks, offering insight into her philosophy of understanding people.
Sandra George's photography captured various facets of life, from community scenes and protests to explorations of identity as a young Black woman in a changing world. Her ability to move through different settings allowed her to document diverse subjects with sensitivity.
This posthumous recognition highlights George's pioneering role in documenting Edinburgh and her significant contribution to photography, with her work now being celebrated through public displays and exhibitions.
