7 great exhibitions to visit in the Capital's... museums and galleries

LOOKING for something to do during the short winter days? The Capital's museums and galleries have a host of intriguing exhibitions to help you wile away the hours, and best of all, many of them are free. Here are seven of the best, currently on display.
When We Were Young: Photographs of Childhood from the National Galleries of ScotlandWhen We Were Young: Photographs of Childhood from the National Galleries of Scotland
When We Were Young: Photographs of Childhood from the National Galleries of Scotland

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG: PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHILDHOOD

Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street, until 15 April, Free

WHEN We Were Young delves into the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland to explore how the lives of children have fascinated photographers from the earliest days of the medium to the present.

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More than 100 images, which capture children at play, at work, at school and at home will reveal how the experience of being a child, and the ways in which they have been represented, have changed in the past 175 years.

PLAYFAIR AND THE CITY

City Art Centre, Market Street, until 25 February, Free

THE architect William Henry Playfair greatly shaped Edinburgh into the city that we see today.

His contribution to the architecture of early 19th century Edinburgh is found throughout the city and its environs - with many of his most noteworthy buildings and landscapes located in the Old and New Towns.

By focusing on Playfair’s built and unbuilt proposals within the City Centre, this exhibition demonstrates his vision and ambition for the city as a place of significance within the British Isles, and follows his career from The Enlightenment to the industrialized Edinburgh of the Victorian age.

WILDFIRE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

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National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, until 29 April, £8

100 awe-inspiring images presents the incredible diversity and fragility of life on Earth in a new and spectacular way. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind. Developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London, for more than 50 years it has showcased the very best in nature photography and presented the beauty and drama of the natural world.

MILITARY AND CIVIL AVIATION HANGERS

National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, Saturdays and Sundays, until 30 March, 10am-4pm, £12 (Family £31)

EXPLORE two new hangars at the National Museum of Flight and experience the history and drama of flight as never before.

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Discover the stories behind one of Europe’s best collections of aircraft and find out more about the people who flew them through displays and interviews. And don’t forget the free Concorde audio guide.

SPLENDOURS OF THE SUBCONTINENT: A PRINCE’S TOUR OF INDIA 1875-6

The Queen’s Gallery, Palace of Holyroodhouse, until 22 April, £7

IN October 1875, the Prince of Wales set off on a four-month tour of the Indian Subcontinent, visiting over 21 localities, which today encompass India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal.

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This exhibition tells the story of his grand tour through some of the finest Indian treasures that were presented to the Prince during his visit.

RUBENS’ DAUGHTER: AN INTIMATE FAMILY PORTRAIT

Scottish National Gallery, The Mound, until 28 January, Free

A BEAUTIFUL and intimate family portrait by one of the greatest of all seventeenth-century artists is on display at the Scottish National Gallery this winter.

Portrait of the Artist’s Daughter, Clara Serena by Sir Peter Paul Rubens was probably painted about 1623, not long before the sitter’s tragically early death at the age of 12. This charming painting has never before been shown in the UK.

DOWN TO EARTH

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National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, until 1 April, Free

CELEBRATING the centenary of the Strathmore Meteorite, Down to Earth reunites the four fragments of the meteorite for the first time since it fell to Earth on 3 December 1917, alongside pieces of the three other meteorites found on Scottish soil.

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