A new collection of unseen film footage stretching back to the dawn of cinema is shining a fresh light on the lives of the generations that went before us.
The Britain on Film project is an online archive featuring 2,500 rare and never-before-seen documentaries, short films, newsreels and home videos, dating as far back as the 1890s.
Launched yesterday by the British Film Institute (BFI), it is accompanied by an interactive map which allows people to explore the heritage of their own city, town or village.
Among the newly digitised footage is a range of Scottish films, which give a unique insight into the changes in culture and attitudes that took place throughout the 20th century.
Out for Value, 1925, was made as a promotional tool for the now-closed Isaac Benzies department store on George Street, Aberdeen. It shows the fictional Mrs McKenzie setting off for a spot of retail therapy, leaving her children occupied in the toy store while she goes in search of fancy goods and other fineries.
Another gem of grainy, black and white footage captures the 1927 Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick, Shetland, which now attracts people from all over the world. It shows the whole town getting in the spirit of the event, dressing up as Vikings and in an array of surreal costumes, including sheep, walruses and the Michelin Man.
Elsewhere in the collection, an early colour recording depicts the fishing heritage of the north.
Made by the Scottish Educational Film Association in 1938, Salmon Fishing in Skye was a prizewinner in the 1941 Scottish Amateur Film Festival. It shows a hardy band of fishermen repairing their nets and setting them in place before reeling in their catch, all the while puffing away on their pipes.
Peddlers’ Progress paints a picture of a more innocent time, as four youths on bicycles set off on an adventure through Glen Coe and Loch Lomond for a summer of sight-seeing, taking in many of the country’s youth hostels, while the 1966 film, Mike Gets The Message, offers an endearing insight into health and safety concerns in the past.
Filmed by staff and pupils at Old Aberdeen School, and donated by the Scottish Screen Archive, it follows Mike as he goes about his day, taking chances crossing the road and riding his bicycle before he eventually learns the importance of putting safety first.
The Skimsters by Harry Birrell, shows a group of water-skiers bringing a touch of Hollywood glamour to the chilly waters of Loch Earn, Perth. It won the Marshall Quaich award at the 1959 Scottish Amateur Film Festival, and was given four stars in the Amateur Cine World Ten Best competition.
Beneath the Skyline, directed by Mark Littlewood, explores the urban and industrial landscape of Edinburgh in the late 1960s. The film, set to a stirring classical soundtrack, shows all aspects of life in the city at the time – from the factories to the fishermen unloading their catch at the dock. It won a Kodak award for colour photography in 1969.
The archive will continue to be expanded, and it is expected there will be 10,000 films available to view by 2018.
The footage can be viewed at www.bfi.org.uk/britain-on-film.