J D Rattar's photographs demonstrate "extraordinary talent"

His photography started as a hobby, but despite working with modest equipment during an era when photography was technically demanding and cumbersome, he became one of Shetland's finest photographers. He was entirely self-taught and it’s obvious from the images he created that he had an instinct for composition. Early on, too, he mastered tone, contrast and texture.

All his photography was in monochrome, although - as we'll see - he did experiment with colour hand-tinting of a few images. He would certainly have been aware of the increasing adoption of amateur and professional colour photography in the 1940s and 1950s, but he chose to stay with the medium he clearly understood so well. That also made business sense, because the national newspapers he sometimes supplied with photographs printed photographs only in black-and-white.

An example of these newsworthy images is the photograph of one of the ships connecting Shetland with mainland Scotland, the St Sunniva. On 10 April 1930, on passage from Aberdeen to Lerwick in thick fog, she ran aground on the island of Mousa. All the passengers and crew were transferred safely ashore, but the ship was a total loss.

In other ways, too, Rattar was an astute businessman. His prints sold very well and – to this day – almost every Shetland auction sale features at least one or two framed examples. He developed a range of postcards, offered calendars and sold souvenir photograph packs to tourists, who were beginning to visit Shetland in increasing numbers.

The exhibition groups the photographs thematically. Local visitors to the exhibition will instantly recognise many of them, but the exhibition also uncovers lesser-known portraits, landscapes and wildlife studies, such as these beautiful eider duck eggs, that demonstrate the breadth of his work.

The exhibition itself has been designed to take visitors beyond photographs on a wall. The Gadderie space has been transformed with dark grey walls providing a striking backdrop for Rattar’s black and white images, while a reconstructed bird hide celebrates his passion for wildlife, one of the themes. Complete with the sounds of Shetland’s birdlife, the space invites visitors to pause and experience this aspect of his work in a different way.

In another theme, Shetland Life, we see Mrs Jessie Ratter boiling sheeps’ puddins on a No 7 stove.

Unsurprisingly, the picture of the St Sunniva is one of many that feature the sea and ships. In At Sea, there is a striking picture of Victoria Pier, where the St Sunniva would have docked, and in Time Weel Spent, we meet Jack Shewan, a highly regarded builder of boats, including model ones.

Nor is it surprising that knitting should have featured in Rattar’s work, so the theme of Makkin includes this photograph, which shows sisters Catherine Petrie, Laura Smith and Wilma Leask posing with a selection of work, including a fine shawl and other knitted items, all mounted on traditional boards

It’s fascinating to compare Rattar’s landscapes and townscapes with the same scenes today, and in Austin’s photographs, we see that in some cases change has been subtle but in others much more far-reaching.

We've shown the images in slide-show format, which helps to illustrate the change in these landscapes and townscapes, but we'd recommend enlarging them by clicking on each image.

The exhibition is a fitting celebration of Rattar’s legacy, reminding us that he photographed every aspect of island life, from bustling fishing stations to crofting, textiles, children at play and historic events. His camera also captured candid portraits, dramatic shipwrecks, wartime scenes and wildlife, with Rattar often going to extraordinary lengths to achieve the perfect image, and often showing viewers places they would never otherwise have seen.

Shetland museum’s senior curator of collections, Carol Christiansen, said the exhibition encourages visitors to look beyond Rattar's most familiar photographs:

"People will recognise some of his most iconic images, including Johnnie Jamieson and the young lass carrying the milk pail in Law Lane, but we've also selected portraits that many people won't immediately recognise as Rattar's work. There are photographs where we don't know the identity of the people pictured, which adds a wonderful sense of mystery and invites visitors to imagine their stories.

“Rattar was operating at so many different levels. One day he might be photographing a tiny, newly hatched bird or a nest of eggs, and the next he would be documenting a bomb crater or a shipwreck. He was an explorer of Shetland in every sense – geographically, culturally and artistically. He noticed something special about these islands and their people and preserved it with extraordinary sensitivity."

Austin also praises Rattar’s skill:

“All I can add to this is to echo Rattar's extraordinary talent, which is emphasised even more when one thinks of the equipment available to him. In my attempt to capture identical scenes to his, almost every one of mine falls short in some way, whether it be the combination of light and weather, the exact perspective he found for his viewpoint or some other minor detail that, at first glance seems inconsequential but is integral to the whole. Every element of Rattar's images was considered and deliberate and made up the whole of those that we still admire today.”

Karen hopes visitors leave with a renewed appreciation for both the photographer and the islands he documented:

"I hope people come away thinking this was a man who was working ahead of his time. He wasn't simply taking photographs. He was preserving Shetland's story for future generations."

Any keen photographer contemplating a move to Shetland will find themselves in good company, as the islands are home to many amateur and professional photographers. There’s a very active camera club which meets regularly to hear talks, share skills and participate in national competitions. You can find Shetland Camera Club on Facebook.

A Time to Keep: Celebrating 150 Years of J.D. Rattar has been curated by exhibitions officer Karen Clubb and senior curator of collections Carol Christiansen. It runs at Shetland Museum and Archives until 11 October 2026. You can search the Shetland Museum Photo Archive for more Rattar images.