THE BORDER COLLIE MUSEUM
MORE ON ROBERT BURNS
Above, "Alloway Under Snow" a painting by Sam Bough, of a small flock of sheep being driven by two sheepdogs past the cottage where Burns was born.
Left, Jean Armour Burns Brown, great granddaughter of Robert Burns, in front of the cottage where Burns was born in Alloway. She is shown with a collie.
Left, an engraving that illustrated a collection of Burns' work (artist and date unknown). It shows the sheepdog Luath on the left, and Caesar, a Landseer Newfoundland, on the right. There isn't a big difference between the collie and the Newfie because Newfoundlands were a smaller breed back then. Numerous paintings, etchings, and photographs from the late 18th through the late 19th centuries show Newfoundlands (usually the black and white variety known as "Landseer" after the Victorian artist who frequently painted them) to look very similar to the collie, except for being slightly larger and perhaps having slightly lower ear carriage, broader head, and blunter muzzle. Dog World magazine had an article (April 1992) called "Images of the past" which featured a postcard of a Landseer Newfoundland that could have easily been mistaken for a Border Collie.
Attesting to the fact that Burn's work, "The Twa Dogs", is still popular, is the sign at the Twa Dogs Inn, on the A591 a few minutes walk from Keswick town center in the Lakes District of England. It depicts Luath as a Border Collie, and Caesar as a Yellow Laborador rather than a Nefoundland. The inn was owned by Lois and Gordon Hallatt. (Photo by Jeannette Ingham.)
Left, a detail from a painting (anon.) showing two shepherds making a toast with a "wee dram" by an open hearth in a cottage much like the one Burns was born in. At their feet lies their collie.
Left, a painting by George Harvey of a pastoral scene with sheepdog as it would have been during Burns' day.
This painting was engraved for the collection Songs of Burns.
Another illustration of "The Twa Dogs", a chair in the Burns Museum in Ayrshire, Scotland, has Caesar holding up the left arm and Luath holding up the right. (Thanks to Gordon Hallatt and Jeannette Ingham for this photograph.)
An illustration of Ellisland Farm, where Burns lived and farmed from 1788-1791, and where he wrote Tam o'Shanter. It shows a herdsman (Burns himself, perhaps) with his cattle and dog.
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