A fascinating new exhibition has launched that charts the changing face of Glasgow in the latter half of the 20th century.
Hosted at Kelvingrove, the exhibition, Coming Into View: Eric Watt's Photographs of Glasgow, centres around the work of the late amateur photographer, Eric Watt, who spent decades capturing scenes on the city's streets.
The evocative collection, which will be on show until next March, features some of Eric Watt's most striking images taken in Glasgow between the 1950s and 1990s, when the city witnessed great change.
A mix of black and white and colour photos, the exhibition reveals the playful eye of a prolific photographer and his dramatic, loving and sensitive way of capturing Glasgow on film.
It is accompanied by a book of the same name, which is divided into sections that illustrate themes such as Politics and Protest; Faith; Leisure; Working Life; Shopping; River Clyde; and The Changing City.
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While the exhibition offers a mere snapshot of the 3,500 images Eric Watt took down the years, his unquenchable passion for documenting the world around him is clear for all to see.
The changing face of the city is documented with affection and curiosity, including new high-rise housing, the M8 motorway and the growing South Asian population.
There is also an abundance of images showing local kids at play and Glaswegians enjoying rare leisure time at the football, horse racing and big city events.
The curation team say a key element in hosting the exhibition is to introduce the work of one of Scotland's greatest, yet largely unknown, practitioners of Scottish street photography.
Isobel McDonald, curator of social history with Glasgow Life Museums said: “We are grateful to Eric’s family for their incredibly generous donation.
"We continue to care for and archive this important gift of more than 3,500 images.
"Collections held within Glasgow’s libraries and museums are some of the most reliable and engaging records of the city’s history, and this gift greatly enhances our archives.
"I think the exhibition is a beautiful way to share Eric’s captivating collection. There’s a real warmth to many of the images, I hope a great many people will enjoy seeing the show at Kelvingrove.”
Eric Watt’s first job was Quality Controller at Schweppes in Possilpark, before turning to teaching.
A secondary school teacher by trade, he created much of this body of work during his spare time as a member of Queens Park Camera Club in Glasgow.
Following his death in 2005, a large part of his archive was gifted to Glasgow Museums’ collection by Eric’s brother Graham Watt.
Graham Watt, Eric Watt’s brother, said: “It all started when Eric was 13. He got a small camera for Christmas in 1947. I got nothing so exciting.
"And so he acquired an interest which absorbed him for the rest of his life. He always left the house with at least two cameras round his neck should he see something of interest, which he nearly always did.
"Then it was back to his bedroom which had a huge cabinet containing all his developing paraphernalia. He then spent the evenings mounting his slides and finally the family were entertained to a show among which are the historical pictures contained in this show.
“This is just a small part of his legacy, he left some 30,000 slides on all sorts of subjects, the result of going out with a couple of cameras.
"We are very proud that somewhat late in the day he should be afforded this recognition and my thanks are due to Glasgow Museums for making this possible.”
Coming Into View: Eric Watt's Photographs of Glasgow is open to the public now and will run until March 4, 2023 at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum.
You can view our photo gallery here.
