Fort George exhibition explores Scotland through historic drawings

Drawing entitled "Esquisse Colour for a Bar", depicting a design for a bar by Jean Payton Reid. ©Courtesy of HES (Papers from Jean Payton Reid). (Image: HES)

Running until November 23, the exhibition highlights how drawings have helped document Scotland’s buildings, landscapes and archaeological discoveries over generations.

The display features historic maps, surveys, archaeological sketches and artistic interpretations, showing how drawing has played a key role in understanding and protecting the country’s heritage.

Drawing of Belmont Hall of Residence, University of Dundee. University of Dundee Archive Services. (Image: HES)

Although photography became widespread in the nineteenth century, drawing has remained an important tool in archaeology and conservation because of its ability to capture detail, texture and the relationship between objects and their surroundings.

During the Second World War, drawings were used to record buildings and landscapes considered at risk from bombing, preserving important details in case they were damaged or destroyed.

Watercolour drawing showing skeleton by John Nicolson. ©Courtesy of HES (John Nicolson Collection). (Image: HES)

The exhibition includes work from notable figures in Scottish history, including Christian Maclagan, one of Scotland’s earliest known female archaeologists, and James Skene, a nineteenth-century amateur artist and friend of Sir Walter Scott.

Skene’s romantic drawings of Scottish monuments and landscapes helped inspire Scott’s own appreciation of the country’s heritage.

'Hague Volharding' by Antony C Wolffe, architect, Gatehouse of Fleet, Scotland. (Records of Antony C Wolffe). (Image: HES)

Alongside historic works, visitors will also see four contemporary pieces commissioned specifically for the exhibition, responding to its themes of memory, preservation and place.

HES said the exhibition aims to encourage visitors to explore the archive and consider drawing as a way of connecting with their own surroundings.

Annotated sketches of the Woodray and Crieff cross slabs. James Skene album, page 11. (Records of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland). Drawings by James Skene. (Image: HES)

Drawn from the Archive will be open at Fort George from August 1 until November 23, 2026.

Entry is included with admission to Fort George and is free for Historic Scotland members.

Claire Whitbread, exhibitions manager at HES, said: "We’re incredibly excited to give visitors a look into our extensive archive and share some of the wonderful drawings in HES’s collections.

"Whether intricately detailed or quick sketches, these works tell us something new about the built environment we see around us every day and often take for granted.

"They also enhance our understanding of the wider social and cultural context of a place.

"These drawings can also tell stories about the people who preserved Scotland’s heritage: the archaeologists, antiquarians, surveyors and map-makers whose skill and creativity have safeguarded places and histories for future generations.

"We hope the exhibition inspires visitors to dig deeper into our archive – or even to go out into their own environments and draw what they see."