The family that photographed 140 years of shipwrecks

They are called Gibsons, they are originally from the Isles of Scilly, which emerge about 45 kilometers from the south-west coast of England. A particular family, because it is attracted by shipwrecks and by the desire to document them.

It began with the progenitor, John, a sailor and then a photographer, together with his sons Alexander and Herbert. Ships, sailing ships, boats that have had the misfortune to sink in the tumultuous waters of Scilly and the Cornish coast. Or, that they have run aground on the rocks of these storm-beaten strips of land. It is estimated that in these parts more than a thousand ships and the like suffered the worst. An ordeal.

Gibson started shooting in 1869 and hasn’t stopped since. And so are his children, who took after him. Curiosity, passion that has become a job. The photos, on plates, have been sold to newspapers, insurance adjusters, enthusiasts of maritime disasters. A tradition that was carried on in the family by James Gibson, son of Alexander; then by the latter’s son Frank and then by his daughter Sandra. Shot after shot, from land, on a boat. Obviously, there are also images of the rescues and, probably, also of the looting that the coastal populations did not fail to carry out on those unfortunate vessels.

A unique collection, which was acquired by the National Maritime Museum in London. Approximately 1800 photographs, processed with various techniques: wet-plate, dry-plate, nitrate and then acetate films. A historical heritage that time has deteriorated, so much so that there is now (as Atlas Obscura has discovered) a race to restore it.