Photography trends have certainly evolved over the last 200 years. From humble and graceful black and white portraits, to coloured and digitalized snaps and selfie trends, this past century has certainly been something – on a visual level at least!

A century-old picture uncovered recently at Mgarr Farmers Bar highlights the art of powerful subtetly most of us try, and often fail, to achieve nowadays. Be warned, you might have to delete your insta account after this!

The family portrait is chock-full of details and takes more than a glance to fully absorb, with each of the nine figures in the picture pushing the same narrative – family portrait goals. The father holds a dead rabbit, with a gun in hand and a bullet-belt around his waist, signs of leadership and ability to provide for the family. The women’s posture, modest clothing and delicate jewellery all indicate a sense of pride and hint good upbringing. And look at the sly angle at which the boy on the far-right twists his arm just so he can draw attention to the ring on his finger. Certainly no need for long captions or inspirational quotes here!

The three eldest men are also pictured holding hunting rifles, either to display masculinity or to commemorate their rite of passage into adulthood. Interestingly, while the women wear shoes, the two younger boys are barefoot and with their trousers rolled up.

Although I’d love to know more about the family; their lives and relationships with each other, I have one pressing question: how on earth did they get the dogs to look straight at the camera without wasting dozens of rolls of film?