Photographs are truly evocative and often mesmerising. Especially when they depict lives and times past. Here at Tullie House we are fortunate to hold a large photographic collection telling the everyday story of Carlisle and beyond.

A superb example of this power in photographs is from the collection of Mary C Fair.

Mary was a recognisable presence in her community around Eskdale in the early half of the 20th century with wide-ranging interests and commitments including being a popular member of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society.

She was a published photographer too and it gave her a decent living. A bold choice maybe, and certainly a departure from what might be expected of a rural woman at this time.

The image shown is one of Mary’s few forays north of the county into Carlisle. Despite having her own car, she rarely travelled more than 10 miles from her home.

You may recognise the location for these sheep. Your eyes are not deceiving you; it is the grounds around Carlisle Cathedral.

Within the Precincts, Carlisle Cathedral is one of Mary’s images taken in August 1925, and one of a series taken on the day. In all the images, it is the sheep that have caught the photographer’s eye, rather than the majesty of the cathedral.

The cathedral only recognisable to those familiar with its structure.

A deceptively simple image, taking a closer look reveals further details.

If we were to look at the top half of the image, and the bottom half of the image independently they would both have a timeless quality: the cathedral rising above the viewer; or sheep sitting in pasture, either could have been taken at any point over 100 years.

However together these two elements create an image that is redolent of its time. The bleached-out sky and greying spires suggest an early evening, confirmed by the sheep at rest. We know it must be summer as several of the sheep are freshly shorn, some with pristine recently grown out fleece.

This is typical of Mary’s work, finding her own interest in the scene and avoiding the obvious.

Living in the Lake District, Mary was acutely aware of how the natural world impacted on and served the rural community, many depending on it for their existence.

Day to day life was organised around the seasons and adapted to the weather. I believe this sensitivity to nature is evident in this image. Mary recognised that this was a way of life that was changing and potentially under threat.

It is perhaps telling that the sheep that are the focus of the image are lowland sheep, rather than the hardy Herdwick variety found in the fells around her home.

The Herdwick as a breed was being seen less and less frequently and threatened with extinction. Mary, along with notable others including a Mrs Heelis (also known as Beatrix Potter), were instrumental in securing the breed’s future.

So initially, the sheep grazing next to this most civic of buildings seems incongruous. However, it serves to remind us that despite being the 20th century, even in the city people lived alongside livestock and were moved by the ancient ways of the land.

Thank you to CWAAS for the use of the image.