The secret photographer: Medical student’s incredible black and white images capturing life in Edinburgh in the 1960s are unveiled after he kept them in cardboard boxes for decades during his career as a doctor
- Robert Blomfield practiced photography across the UK and moved to Edinburgh in 1956 to study medicine
- 18-year-old Blomfield took pride in photography and also made time outside of his studies for his passion
- He used a pair of Nikon F SLRs to shoot his images and developed them in a makeshift dark room in his digs
A disrespect for authority and an engaging manner was all one photographer needed to capture the Edinburgh of the 1960s.
Robert Blomfield had practiced photography across the UK from the 1950s to the 1970s and captured the beauty of Edinburgh when he moved to the city to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1956.
Despite the mammoth task of studying medicine, 18-year-old Blomfield took great pride in photography and spent most of his spare time pursuing his passion for photography, and would often be seen out and about capturing life on the streets.
His fly-on-the-wall approach allowed him to capture interesting and amusing scenes in the rapidly changing post-war period and his engaging manner and disrespect for authority allowed him to get close to a myriad of subjects, which made for tender, bold and humorous images.
Blomfield used a pair of Nikon F SLRs to shoot his images and went about developing them by setting up a makeshift darkroom in his student accommodation.
However, his medical career meant he couldn’t be as open with his work and his vast collection of images had to be stored away in cardboard boxes. When a stroke led him to put the camera down, his wife Jane began to catalogue and digitalise the images. After she died in 2011, their three sons William, Edward and George, along with his brother Johnny, continued on the pursuit to get the photos out.
Childhood friends: Blomfield’s tender nature meant that he was able to capture some of the sweetest moments shared with friends, including this one of four children walking down the street in Edinburgh in 1966
Blomfield enjoyed photographing people of all ages and in 1964 he took the ‘Boy on Cannon’ photo (left) on Calton Hill and two years later in 1966 he managed to snap this photo of two police officers attending a car accident on Edinburgh’s Queen Street
It’s easy to forget when looking at these images that Blomfield was also studying medicine. In 1964 he took this photo entitled ‘Coffee morning’ which was taken at the Student Union at the University of Edinburgh
Local life: Blomfield was keen to capture the real lives of people in Edinburgh and in 1966 he took the image ‘Couples’ (left) which showed two sets of couples walking through Princes Street Gardens. He also had a knack of showing the true grit of Edinburgh and in 1962 he captured the Forth Road Bridge Construction in North Queensferry
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His fly on the wall approach allowed him to capture tender moments and his passion for photography was able to shine through, in 1966 he took this image entitled ‘Girls Playing in Tyre’
1960s Edinburgh: Blomfield captured ‘Two Women with Chickens’ (left) in the city’s West End and had also snapped ‘Boy Drinking Cola’ (right) in the same year
On the move: the growth of Edinburgh as a city allowed for more transportation needs and in 1964 Blomfield captured ‘Traffic’ on one of the city’s main streets – Princess Street
Ready for your close up? Blomfield’s nature meant that he was able to get right into the heart of communities to take his photos and he could be seen in 1966 (left) taking photos of children. He also snapped two cheery children on Arthur Street (right)
Despite traffic piling up in the city centre, Blomfield was able to capture this more solitary image of a man waiting for a bus at a bus stop in Blackridge
The exhibition is a partnership with Robert Blomfield and Family. The show is accompanied by a documentary of Robert Blomfield and his work by cinematographer Stuart Edwards and a programme of events. The exhibition will run from 24 November 2018 to 17 March 2019 at the City Art Centre.
For more information visit www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk
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