Illustrator Lucy Roscoe has been exploring the collections at the John Gray Centre in East Lothian. Taking inspiration from a range of items such as 19th century letters and a Baillie Court Book from 1647, Lucy has recently completed a series of watercolours entitled ‘The Illustrated Archive’. Lucy has been investigating and taking inspiration from the Haddington Criminal Register and has uncovered lots about East Lothian’s criminal underworld of the late 1800s.
One of the watercolours in the series is “Theft of Umbrellas” which depicts Michael Bolan, of no fixed residence, who was arrested on 4 January 1898 accused of stealing umbrellas from a shop in Market Street, Haddington. The 29 year old from Dublin received a punishment of 30 days in jail.
The collection thus far is available to view on the John Gray website. You can also find out more about Lucy’s work by visiting her website.
