Woodcarving Annan, James Craig  (Scottish, 1864-1946)

A war hospital in Erskine, Scotland was named after Princess Louise, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It took her name as she was the first patron of the unit. It was originally called Princess Louise Scottish Hospital for Limbless Sailors and Soldiers. The name changed over the years to Erskine Hospital and then just Erskine. It was opened due to the need to treat the thousands of military personnel who lost their limbs in the First World War. The charity has grown to become the biggest ex-service establishment in Scotland.

With photogravures printed by James Craig Annan, this sumptuous work was published on the occasion of the formal opening of the Hospital on 6 June 1917. The text describes the origins of the project, the Erskine mansion and its gardens above the Clyde, the medical facilities and staff, and the work of rehabilitation, with photographs of workshops devoted to limb making, wood carving, and basket making. Erskine is still the charity that looks after injured servicemen in Scotland, but now there is a new Hospital in the grounds of the old one (which has been reopened as a hotel).

38 photogravure plates by T. & R. Annan & Sons overseen by James Craig Annan (the photographer is not identified, but likely was James Craig Annan) [1]

References

[1] Quartrich catalog