Biography
Scarborough Collections is the name given to the museum items owned by Scarborough Borough Council, including over 1,500 works of art. The collections are cared for on behalf of the Borough by Scarborough Museums Trust. It includes Scarborough Art Gallery, Scarborough Town Hall, and the Rotunda Museum as exhibition places.
The main strength of the collection lies in its rich representation of local topography, including subjects of the town and area, and marine works by local artists. Important works in the collection include paintings by John Atkinson Grimshaw and a large oil painting by Lord Leighton, who was born in Scarborough. However, it is the collection’s cumulative effect that makes it of regional significance rather than any particular work.
A picture from the collection with an interesting story to tell is ‘The Old Fish Market, Scarborough’ by J. Chambers. This painting was damaged during the Bombardment of Scarborough by German warships on 16th December 1914. Shrapnel pierced the painting as it hung in the home of Alderman Alexander John Hall, MP, who was sadly killed during the attack. His widow then donated the painting, with the damage still visible, to the Scarborough Corporation as a reminder of the day.
