Originally a Galloway man, it was while working in London as an electrical engineer that Gordon Shennan (1887-1971), became interested in social welfare. He did voluntary work at the Cockney Mission in the south of the city. This interest inspired a ‘social calling’ which led him to become an inspector for the Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in the Highland area. Shennan held this post from 1924 until his retirement in 1965.
Throughout his working life, Shennan travelled extensively around the Highlands and Islands, initially by motorcycle (which can often be seen in his photos), but then later by van, photographing the Highland life and landscapes that he encountered. Known as ‘cruelty men’, RSSPCC inspectors had the power to remove children from their families if there were concerns for welfare and safety. Through his work, Shennan developed a passion for recording the unique culture of Traveller communities and became a genuine friend of many Traveller families. Ever practical, he was not above raiding his own food larder to provide assistance when the need arose. His photographs provide a rare and fascinating insight into the Traveller life, but the collection also tells a hidden story of the vulnerability of Travellers and the threat of children being separated from their families.
A keen amateur photographer, Shennan captured many of his travels through the lens. Everything from family groups, to snowstorms and floods were recorded by him. The people in his pictures were photographed with a view to recording their way of life, capturing otherwise forgotten day-to-day scenes. As his obituary states, Gordon Shennan had a ‘perceptive eye with deep feeling for the Highland way of life’. Through his remarkable images we can look through his lens into the past and glimpse a unique way of life, so much of which has now gone.
The Gordon Shennan Collection was donated to Inverness Museum by Mrs Shennan in 1977. Some of the images are available to view online at Am Baile. The photographic prints can be viewed by appointment at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, please email us for details.
