THE MACDONALD COLLECTION
The image above shows Murdoch presenting the Macdonald Collection to:
The Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre (click to make the link).
You can also visit the associated website: www.macdonaldsisters.com/ to peruse 32 Galleries containing 900 photographs of many items in the Macdonald Sisters Collection. Included among the photographs are reproductions of the original notes and (often wry) comments that the sisters made on their work.
INVENTORY as at MARCH 2010
Collected and Collated by Murdoch MacKenzie
THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK OF MAIREAD MACDONALD
1-37 South African Scenes in colour
38 Sacred Wild Swan – Gaelic and English
39 Indian Legend – Hindustani and English
40 –51 Cartoons in Gaelic – mainly black and white
52-92 Cartoons in English – mainly black and white
93 – 108 Paintings of Ceramics
109 – 310 Designs for wallpaper
311-373 Pictures – various
374-375 Designs for wallpaper
376-377 Pictures
377 Design for wallpaper
379-80 Two roundels
381-404 Designs for wallpaper
405 Unfinished picture
406 –415 Designs for various hangings and curtains
416-428 Various designs
429-431 Designs for fire-screens
432-434 Fire-screen paintings on fabric
MX 01-07 Oil paintings – presumably Mairead
MX 09-11 Oil paintings – presumably Mairead
M U1-12 Unfinished pieces of work
THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK OF CATRIONA MACDONALD
MX 08 Oil painting
1-129 Paintings of objects copied in the British Museum and in museums elsewhere
1-20 Ceramic-ware designs
21-22 Ornamentation
23 Lion on glazed bricks
24-32 Architectural features
33-34 Sculptured pavements
35 Carved marble panel - Athens
36-38 Chinese ornament
39-60 Miscellany of ornamentation
61-69 Brocades
70 Velvet
71-84 Chintzes
85-90 Cottons
91-107 Linens
108-121 Cotton
122-129 Silk
130 Linen
131-189 Designs for wallpaper
190 Design for hand-printed dress fabric to be printed on linen
191-201 Designs for wallpaper
202-204 Designs for hand-printed/block printed dress material
205-229 Designs for wallpaper
230-246 Designs for a variety of curtains, hangings and furnishings
247 Design for triangular scarf
248-253 Designs for curtains
254 Coverings for chairs and settees
255-257 Designs for curtains
258-259 Items copied from museum Rhenish linen and silk
260 Ornamentation – Byzantine, Renaissance, Tudor
261 Romanesque gold brocade
262-263 Birds
UNSIGNED WORK
1U – 73U Various designs
UU1 and UU2 Unsigned and Unfinished
MISCELLANEOUS
Tube from Royal Society of Arts, Adelphi, W.C.2 containing:
Registration Certificates as qualified designers for industry 1943 Mairead and Catriona
Membership Certificates as elected Fellows of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts,
Manufacturers and Commerce 1943 Mairead and Catriona
Photo-copies of comments made, especially by Mairead, from reverse side of pieces of art-
work. (not digitised) Each bears the number of the relevant artwork.
UNFINISHED SKETCHES
136 Harrow School of Art Life Drawings etc
40 sketches of greeting cards and cartoons 7x5 inches approx
40 sketches on card – mainly of plants 4x7 inches approx
23 assorted sketches – amazing detail 7x5 inches or less
5 sketches on tracing paper – sketches for paintings 14x10 inches approx
TEXTILES
These are in 4 bags A,B,C and D
A 6 pieces of cloth – printed – possibly all their own designs.
2 skirts and 2 lengths of cloth – possibly purchased items to copy.
B 1 tablecloth 4 cushion covers 2 scarves 22 handkerchiefs 1 skirt 1 hat
1 odd printed belt
C 4 stitched baby dresses – not printed 3 silk ladies’ dresses – not printed
D 8 printed ladies blouses (some matching the dresses)
E 9 printed ladies’ dresses – their own designs
F 1 fine cotton block-printed scarf – using existing printing blocks
PRINTING BLOCKS
1 Set of 8 small
2 Set of 8 small
3 Set of 10 small
4 Set of 2 large
5 Set of 2 medium
6 1+4 of set – large
7 5/6/2/3 on one block (possibly with 6 above)
8 1 large – just says ‘TOP’
9 2 small 9+10
10 1 large – very interesting
11 1 large – very interesting
12 1 small – rather crude
13 2 metal blocks – New Improved Gillette Safety Razor
14 7 mixed – different style of blocks
15 7 – possibly from same set
16 1 – single block ‘TOP’
17 2 different style of block – very interesting
18 2 blank blocks with 1 just beginning to be carved
WOODEN PAINT BOXES
2 Reeves and Sons Ltd - condition is exactly as left by the artists
COMMENTS FROM ACADEMICS ON THE ARTWORK
Zoe Hendon Middlesex University
Margaret Hall-Townley Goldsmiths University of London
Peter Roach Westminster University
Stephen Jackson National Museums of Scotland
Ann Jones Heriot Watt University
MENUS FROM VOYAGES, AIRLINE FLIGHTS and VARIOUS HOTELS WORLDWIDE
107 Menus with dates from 24 November 1928 – 28 October 1986
32 Menus + cards undated
39 Ancillary documents giving details of cruises and other information
COLLECTION OF PENS AND PENCILS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Malta, Sark, Mont Orgueil Castle Jersey, Cathedral Church of St John the Divine, New York City, Blenheim Palace, Syon House, Colonial Gateway Inn St Pete Beach, Fla, Portugal, Florida, British Museum Natural History, Funchal Madeira, Empire State Building New York City, The Royal Pavilion Brighton, Cardiff Castle, Cutty Sark, Harewood House, Woburn Abbey, The Taj Mahal Intercontinental, St Peter’s Church Sark
HMS Victory, Queen Elizabeth 2, Canberra, Queen Elizabeth 2,
Walaprasad Radhakrishna Cawnpore,
COLLECTION OF STAMPS
There are many stamps and these have yet to be examined. This is work ongoing.
COLLECTION OF COINS
AUSTRALIA half penny 1961
AUSTRIA 1 schilling 1960,1966, 1967
10 groschen 1970
BRITISH CARIBBEAN TERRITORIES 5 cents 1956, 1964
10 cents 1965(2)
25 cents 1965
Barbados 10 cents 1973(2)
CALIFORNIA 1849 – two items – perhaps not coins
CANADA 1 cent 1940, 1942, 1944
5 cents 1933, 1964
CEYLON 1 cent 1928
CHANNEL ISLANDS Jersey One Twenty Fourth of a Shilling 1894
Guernsey 1 penny 1979 2 penny 1979
CZECHOSLOVAKIA 10? 1969(2)
DENMARK 25 ore 1967 (2)
1 krone 1967
FRANCE 5 centimes 1936, 1939, 1969
10 centimes 1918, 1923, 1925
20 centimes 1964
25 centimes 1927 (2)
50 centimes 1922
Half a franc 1966
1 franc 1908, 1924, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1960, 1961
5 francs 1949 (2) 1964
10 francs 1980
20 francs 1933, 1951
50 franc note dated 28/2/1935
GERMANY 5 pfennig 1950 (2), 1966, 1968
10 pfennig 1950 (2)
1 mark 1963
2 marks 1966
GREECE 10? 1912
20? 1912
INDIA Paper money Rs5, Rs2, Rs1
5 paise 1968
10 paise 1971, 1972, 1973 (2), 1974
25 paise 1974
50 paise 1973
Planned Families Food for All paise, no dates (2)
One twelfth of an anna 1924
One quarter of an anna 1924
2 annas 1890, 1917
East India Company 1835 William 111 King
ITALY 5 cents 1955
10 cents 1920, 1924, 1926, 1936 (2), 1951, 1953
20 cents 1908, 1913, 1918 (2), 1921
1 lire 1922
50 lire 1964, 1967
100 lire 1956 (2), 1958, 1963, 1965
JUGOSLAVIA 5 para 1980
10 para 1974, 1978, 1979, 1981
20 para 1979, 1980 (2), 1981
50 para 1977
1 dinar 1980
5 dinar 1972, 1980, 1981
MALTA 2 cents 1976, 1977 (3)
5 cents 1972
MEXICO One very old coin
MUSCAT AND OMAN one quarter anna – date in another script
NETHERLANDS half a cent 1936
SEYCHELLES 1 rupee 1977 (2)
SOUTH AFRICA 5s George VI Rex 1652-1952
SOUTHERN RHODESIA two shillings 1947
SPAIN 1 peseta 1953
SWITZERLAND 20 centimes 1968
1 franc 1914
2 francs 1975, 1978
half a franc 1881
TUNISIA 5 centimes 1904, 1908 (2)
UGANDA East Africa Protectorate 25 cents 1906
UNITED KINGDOM half penny 1874, 1900, 1907
half pence 1971 (2), 1976 (2)
one penny 1862, 1875, 1881, 1896, 1898 (2),
1899, 1900 (2), 1901, 1902 (2), 1903 (2), 1905,
1906 (2), 1907 (2), 1910 (3), 1911,1916, 1917
Too old to identify 11.
one pence 1986
sixpence 1945, 1948, 1951, 1967
one shilling 1958, 1960
two shillings 1948, 1950
two pound coins 1983 (2)
Medal ? (1) ‘In Commemoration of the 50th year
of Queen Victoria’s Glorious Reign’
URUGUAY 50 centesimos 1893
USA 1 cent 1944, 1966, 1973
5 cents 1926
1 dime 1968, 1969, 1975
one quarter dollar 1965
one dollar notes (3)
REALLY OLD COINS Too old to identify 15
One dated 1835
One dated 1806 – George III?
One dated 1799 Coventry halfpenny Pro Bono
Publico
UNIDENTIFIED COINS Script not known therefore could not identify.
27
FAMILY MEMORABILIA
The Illustrated Gaelic-English Dictionary – Edward Dwelly 4th edition 1941 Signed in Gaelic
by Catriona and Mairead Macdonald
Macdonald stamp and seal of Dugald Macdonald
Recipe book of Maggie Macdonald in frail condition
Instruction on the belief and practice of the Roman Catholic Church script and
illustrations by presumed to be by Mairead Macdonald
Biobull presented to Margaret MacKinnon by Anna MacPhee November 21st 1916 and used by
Catriona Macdonald by her bedside till she died.
Including newspaper cuttings on inside front cover of:
1919 Margaret and Dugald wedding in Presbyterian Church of England in Oldham
1971 Memorial notice: Dugald d 20th February 1961 (aged 80) and Margaret d 2nd March
1966 (aged 79)
1990 Funeral notice for Mairead Macdonald in Sark
Also containing card giving Marriage notices from The Scotsman May 3rd 1919
Bookmarks of Association for International Cancer Research, for International Fund for Animal
Welfare as well as several cards with texts and Bible pictures.
Inside back cover:
1969 Funeral notice for Alice Maud MacKinnon d 6th November 1969 aged 85 years wife of late
Ronald MacKinnon Cremation in Leeds on 10th November
1986 Funeral notice for Donald Lachlan Mackenzie d July 24th 1986 in Crieff Cottage Hospital
2003 Funeral notice for Mary Elizabeth MacKinnon d July 3rd 2003 in Harrowgate Lodge
Nursing Home in Leeds aged 84 years
Undated Funeral notice for Dorothy L MacKinnon aged 79 in York District Hospital
BIOBULL Belonging to Mrs M Macdonald, Wentworth Street, Portree. No date of publication.
Frail condition. Two pressed leaves within the Bible in good condition.
HOLY BIBLE in English ‘Portree’ Public School December 1892. Third Class. Boy’s PRIZE awarded to Dugald Macdonald for Writing. Signed by Andrew Gillanders, Headmaster. ( Muriel Gillanders, presumably daughter of Andrew Gillanders) married John MacKinnon, brother of Margaret MacKinnon who married Dugald Macdonald). The new Archive Centre is now on the site of Portree High School so that this Bible will be returned to the place from which it was presented in 1892.
THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER with HYMNS – with enclosed leaflet from St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral Valetta Sunday 19th November (no year mentioned) TRINITY 25 followed by; “The Flowers this Sunday are given in loving memory of Dugald and Margaret Macdonald”
JOHN ANGUS Royal Berkshire Regiment – uniform buttons
SOUVENIRS FROM AIX-LES-BAINS 2 small vases
MALTA MEDAL 1 LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME ( worm-holes from India + Dugald’s signature)
FAMILY TREE
Available on e mail and on VERY LARGE documents. More work needs to be done here to reduce it to a more manageable size.
GENERAL BOOKS
Some of these may be donated to the Oban Community Library suitably inscribed as from the Macdonald Collection. They may not be suitable for the archive.
MISCELLANEOUS
PHOTOGRAPHS
From Sark including Catriona’s ashes’ burial, rooms in Demi de Balmee - their house in Sark showing their possessions.
70 scanned prints chosen from loose photographs by David Torlach plus 1 original each annotated by Christine Torlach, professionally printed on photographic paper On the DVD these scans are those in the “Individual photos” folder.
114 Macdonald and MacKinnon family photographs scanned images on a disc from early 1900’s till 1960’s taken from Family Photo Album, including Mairead and Catriona as babies. Includes Skye, India, South Africa, England and various parts of Europe – all of which are reflected in their drawings and paintings. Disc by David Torlach
ARCHIVE-QUALITY COLOUR PHOTOCOPIES. Done on archive paper by Christine Torlach so the copies are more robust and long-lasting for possible exhibition in archives.
Passports (only relevant pages copied)
a. 1948-1953 One for Dugald and Maggie. One each for Catriona, Mairead
b. 1966-1971 One each for Catriona,Mairead
c. 1976-1986 One each for Catriona, Mairead
Death Certificates
a. Dugald 1961
b. Maggie 1966
c. Mairead 1990
Marriage Certificate
Dugald and Maggie 1919
Birth Certificate
Maggie 1886
Financial
a. Cheques: signatures of all four
b. Hand-written (Dugald) Tax Letter
News-cuttings Various Subjects
a. Donald Archie, Donald Lachlan and Donald Mackenzie OBE
b. Death notices – family
c. M MacKinnon
d. Gaelfonn and Dr Christine MacDougall
e. Winter’s coming – peat-cutting Staffin
World War I and John Angus
a. Royal Berkshire Regiment Cenotaph
b. Staffin War Memorial
c. 2 postcards from John Angus to his sister Maggie in 1915
d. Letter from John Angus to Maggie in 1915
e. King George VI Thank you to the Fallen
f. Copy (2007) of extract re John Angus in Scottish National War Memorial
g. Permit Book to allow Maggie MacKinnon to visit Skye in World War I
Artwork
a. Maggie MacKinnon 1914
b. Children’s scribbling by Riona
c. Children’s scribbling by Margaret
Will
a. Maggie’s hand-written will of 1959
Telegrams
a. Death of Mary (Macdonald) MacKinnon 1927
b. Death of Annie Tolmie (MacKinnon) MacKenzie 1952
Gaelic
a. Religious writings (loose)
b. Religious, doodles, sketches (notebook)
c. Gaelic-English Proverbs (notebook)
Life on Sark – hand-written draft
Catriona’s Diaries – copies of selected pages. These are mainly to demonstrate how it is
almost impossible to read/transcribe due to the minute handwriting:
a. 5 pages 1966 – including the death of Maggie
b. 5 pages 1990 – including death of Mairead
Copies of Family Correspondence
a. From Mairead and Catriona to Christine (much family information for Family Tree Work)
1976, 1989, 2004
b. To Mairead and Catriona from Maud (Mrs Ronald MacKinnon) Airletter February 1968
c. To Mairead and Catriona from Mairi Ross January 1971 (3 pages)
d. To Mairead and Catriona from Nancy Mackenzie – Airletter September 1986
e. To Mairead and Catriona from Ann and Lamont Ross – photocopy Christmas note 1987
f. To Mairead and Catriona from Chrisanna Martin – 6 postcards 1987, 1988, 1991 (2),
1993, 1994 - 2 letters 1990, 1995
g. To Catriona from Donald MacKinnon (and Kathleen) – 6 letters 1990(2), 1992, 1993,
1994, c. 2003
h. To Catriona from Jimmy MacKinnon letter 1990
i. To Catriona from Kenneth MacKenzie – 2 letters 1990, 2006, 1 letter card 1991
j. To Catriona from Kit Macdonald 1 letter 1993
CDs AND DVDs
The Macdonald Sisters – Artists Produced by David Hitchin and Murdoch MacKenzie
Antiques Roadshow 7th July 2007 at The Castle of Mey broadcast on 6th January 2008 with
Christine Torlach and Paul Atterbury
Digitised Artwork – David Hitchin
NEWSPAPER REPORT
The Oban Times A View from The Tower by McCaig
OTHER PERSONAL PAPERS
Catriona’s Death –
Service of Thanksgiving and Sermon Inverness Crematorium 09/09/06 conducted by Murdoch
MacKenzie
Funeral Notice West Highland Free Press 08/09/06
St Peter’s Church Sark Memorial Service Outline of Service
Talk’s by Roger Browning and Kenneth MacKenzie
Postcards of stained glass window’s in St Peter’s Church
KEMBLE CAMEO PIANO
Now in the Haven in Uig
MASONIC MATERIAL (given for safe-keeping to Ronnie Mackinnon)
1 District Grand Chapter of India under Scotland - 20.3.1919
2 Grand lodge of Scotland – 26.2.1914
3 Grand Lodge of All Scottish Freemasonry in India 30.11.1917
4 United Grand Lodge of England – 13.9.1909
5 Supreme Council of Scotland – 12.2.1915
6 Grand Lodge of Scotland – 21.11.1914
7 The Supreme Council of Scotland – 12.2.1918
8 The Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland – 30.1.1915
9 The Indian Masonic Year Book 1918 – 1919
