They are called Gibsons and are originally from the Isles of Scilly, which appear about 45 kilometers off the south-west coast of England. A special family because they are drawn to shipwrecks and the desire to document them.
It started with progenitor John, a sailor turned photographer, along with his sons Alexander and Herbert. Ships, sailing ships, boats unfortunate enough to sink in the turbulent waters of Scilly and the Cornish coast. Or that they’ve run aground on the rocks of these storm-swept lands. It is estimated that in these parts more than a thousand ships and the like suffered the worst. An ordeal.
Gibson began taking photographs in 1869 and hasn’t stopped since. And so did the children who followed him. Curiosity, passion that has become a profession. The photos on plates were sold to newspapers, insurance adjusters and lovers of sea disasters. A tradition carried on in the family of James Gibson, son of Alexander; then by his son Frank and then by his daughter Sandra. Shot by shot, from land, on a boat. Of course there are also pictures of the rescue operations and probably also of the looting that the coastal population did not miss on these unfortunate ships.
A unique collection acquired by the National Maritime Museum in London. About 1800 photographs processed with different techniques: wet plate, dry plate, nitrate and then acetate film. A historical legacy that has decayed so much over time that (as Atlas Obscura has discovered) there is now a race to restore it.
