On the 4th of September, a small group of ten members gathered for a private viewing of The Henry Dyer Collection at the Central Library Edinburgh. This was kindly suggested and organised by JSoS members and we were delighted that Deputy Consul General Ishii (Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh) was able to join us.
We also welcomed a very special guest, Lesley Hart, who is the nearest living relative to Henry Dyer. Her late brother Professor Robin Hunter had researched their family history and developed the website: https://www.henrydyer.org.uk
The viewing was led by Bronwen Brown, Library Development Leader Art & Design and Music Collections at the Central Library Edinburgh, and her colleague Jen was on hand to show the many woodblock prints, postcards and photographs on display. It was a lovely afternoon, a mixture of viewing and conversation. The collection included a facsimile scroll, the original being housed in The National Museum of Scotland, so after the event, a few of us walked to the museum to view it (final photograph).
It was so nice to have the opportunity of seeing the collection and meeting members. We were especially fortunate to have Lesley join us and relate some personal stories from her Great Grandmother, Janet Dyer, who was Henry Dyer’s sister.
We are hoping to arrange another members’ only visit next year to view the Henry Dyer Collection at The Mitchell Library Glasgow.
