Historic photographs show Shetland was a rural community until well into the 20th century. Most people lived on small farms called crofts, where crops were grown and animals reared. Images have captured traditional activities, like making meal and churning butter, which had continued for centuries, and survived into the photographic era. Work with crops was seasonal, and the daily routine included milking and fetching peats. The 20th century saw many changes, with the introduction of machinery to make work easier, and people were less tied to the land. Shetland slowly no longer relied on crofting, and images show us a changing landscape, where depopulated districts became sheep farms, and today few crops are grown.

For a fuller listing of images under this heading please use the subject listing Crofting.