Shawn Olson | Through the Shattered Lens

Photograph of Nessie, taken in 1934 by Robert Kenneth Wilson

Today is Tartan Day, a worldwide celebration of Scottish heritage. Here at the Shattered Lens, I’m observing Tartan Day by paying tribute to one of Scotland’s most famous residents. Some people say she’s real. Some people say she’s a myth. Her official name is the Loch Ness Monster but you can call her Nessie.

Above is the most famous picture of Nessie and, sadly, most people now agree that it was probably a hoax. But there were sightings of Nessie long before this picture was ever published. The first recorded sighting of Nessie was in 565 AD by Saint Columba. Are you calling a saint a liar? I didn’t think so.

Here are what a few other artists think that Nessie might look like: