The Violin Maker

Beards, Genre: Men, Men: Occupational, Musical Instruments

Dimensions

Image Dimensions: 12.5 x 18.9 | 13.2 x 19.6 cm glued along upper margin
Support Dimensions: 19.0 x 24.8 cm

This portrait of William Elliot is the photographer’s father. A noted Scottish violin maker, his dates are 1843-1919 as provided to this website by the Elliot family. Many online instrument databases for violin makers erroneously give his dates as 1862-1915.

The following poem by Alice Elliot appears full-page opposite this photograph by Nichol Elliot:

The Violin Maker

THE joy of making is a thing divine,
Be it for lovely use or loveliness,
Wherein the maker can himself express,
Mid myriad bond of medium or design,
By individual touch innately fine,
That doth to art a handwrought plaything dress,
And heart and soul the happy craftsman bless
Creating deftly music’s mellow shrine.

To inmost Soul of Beauty will and deed
Are vowed, when thus, for ends of Beauty wrought,
The stringed perfection shapes, ⎯from urgent thought,
Ideal rife, ⎯of every blemish freed, ⎯
In rhythmic curves, the joy of hand and eye,
To serve the Master Pow’rs of Melody.

John “Humie” Elliot, the great nephew of photographer Nichol Elliot, has supplied the following background on the photographer’s parents:

Both William and Mary were born in England either at Tweedmouth or Berwick-on-Tweed.”  …They came to Coldstream in the 1870’s when Mary inherited a house in the town from her mother.