Ronnie's Photographic Trail

Hide and Seek

Ronnie McGrath’s ambition, camera, and concealed photographs provide a shifting trail of evidence and misdirection.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

An Ambitious Eye An Ambitious Eye from "Hide and Seek". An Ambitious Eye The aspiration Ronnie McGrath hopes to become a photographer and keeps images of Edinburgh Castle and other familiar places taken from unusual…

An Ambitious Eye from "Hide and Seek". An Ambitious Eye The aspiration Ronnie McGrath hopes to become a photographer and keeps images of Edinburgh Castle and other familiar places taken from unusual…

An Ambitious Eye The aspiration Ronnie McGrath hopes to become a photographer and keeps images of Edinburgh Castle and other familiar places taken from unusual angles. His ambition is modest but deeply personal, making the camera more than property when it disappears after his death.

Work Taken Work Taken from "Hide and Seek". Work Taken A breach of trust Tracy explains that photographers at Hutton Studios copied Ronnie McGrath’s ideas after he showed them his work.

Work Taken from "Hide and Seek". Work Taken A breach of trust Tracy explains that photographers at Hutton Studios copied Ronnie McGrath’s ideas after he showed them his work.

Work Taken A breach of trust Tracy explains that photographers at Hutton Studios copied Ronnie McGrath’s ideas after he showed them his work. The betrayal helps explain his resentment and discouragement, while Tracy’s part in bringing the images to the studio complicates her claim to have been his loyal companion.

The Camera Reappears The Camera Reappears from "Hide and Seek". The Camera Reappears A stolen possession John Rebus and Anthony McCall find Ronnie McGrath’s camera in Charlie’s room, alongside other belongings that suggest…

The Camera Reappears from "Hide and Seek". The Camera Reappears A stolen possession John Rebus and Anthony McCall find Ronnie McGrath’s camera in Charlie’s room, alongside other belongings that suggest…

The Camera Reappears A stolen possession John Rebus and Anthony McCall find Ronnie McGrath’s camera in Charlie’s room, alongside other belongings that suggest someone has been gathering objects from the squat. The discovery gives the inquiry a concrete lead, though it cannot yet explain who moved Ronnie’s body or concealed photographs.

The Boxing Prints The Boxing Prints from "Hide and Seek". The Boxing Prints A false breakthrough John Rebus recovers a sealed package from the squat, expecting incriminating photographs, but finds only crude images of…

The Boxing Prints from "Hide and Seek". The Boxing Prints A false breakthrough John Rebus recovers a sealed package from the squat, expecting incriminating photographs, but finds only crude images of…

The Boxing Prints A false breakthrough John Rebus recovers a sealed package from the squat, expecting incriminating photographs, but finds only crude images of an underground boxing match. The pictures seem disappointingly weak until Brian Holmes notices they were taken secretly, suggesting Ronnie was documenting something the participants did not want recorded.

A Second Cache A Second Cache from "Hide and Seek". A Second Cache Another hiding place Tracy tells Nell Stapleton that Ronnie McGrath concealed copies in the Edinburgh University Library, calling them his life…

A Second Cache from "Hide and Seek". A Second Cache Another hiding place Tracy tells Nell Stapleton that Ronnie McGrath concealed copies in the Edinburgh University Library, calling them his life…

A Second Cache Another hiding place Tracy tells Nell Stapleton that Ronnie McGrath concealed copies in the Edinburgh University Library, calling them his life insurance policy. Brian Holmes locates the prints, but they duplicate the boxing photographs rather than supply an immediate legal breakthrough; their value lies partly in what they imply about fear and leverage.

Before the story

Several months before Monday

Wednesday afternoon

Friday evening

Saturday afternoon