Keartons on Kilda

With Nature and A Camera
Richard Kearton / Cherry Kearton (photographer)
Cassell, London, 1911

Being the Adventures and Observations of a Field Naturalist and an Animal Photographer

Richard and Cherry Kearton were team of brother naturalists; Richard provided the writing and scientific knowledge and Cherry took care of the photography and some of the text. Cherry was one of the first wildlife photographers, and in 1896 the pair undertook a mission to document the life on the remote Hebridean island of St Kilda, an almost barren mountain of rock thrusting up from the Atlantic where a small settlement scratched a living from fish and seabirds. Cherry's photographs provide a fascinating record of the lives of the island's human inhabitants, and some unintended laughs for those who share my childish sense of humour.

Spot the difference (clue the figure on the right may be a man)

Foul behaviour

No sniggering

With the growth of cinema the brothers parted company and Cherry moved into wildlife documentaries. 

The seabirds remain on St Kilda. The island no longer has human inhabitants, following the famous evacuation of 1930.