PHOTOGRAPHS
Hill, David Octavius; Adamson, Robert
Scotland (1802 - 1870); Scotland (1821 - 1848)
Portrait of a Lady
c. 1845
Salted paper print from calotype paper negative
7 7/8 x 5 5/8 in. (20 x 14.2 cm) image and sheet size
Monsen Study Collection of Photography, gift of Joseph and Elaine Monsen
FA 79.95

Artist David Octavius Hill and chemist Robert Adamson worked collaboratively in Scotland in the 1840s using a recently developed photographic process, the calotype. In May, 1843, in Edinburgh, 470 clerics resigned from the Presbyterian Church to found the Free Church of Scotland, an event known as The Disruption. It was a momentous occasion in Scottish religious life. Hill decided to create a monumental painting commemorating the event, and photographed many of the dissenting clerics in preparation for making his canvas. The project sparked a lively demand for photographic portraits among local residents. Hill and Adamson would go on to create another 500 portraits of individuals from the area.
-- Label copy for Inside-Out: Portrait Photographs from the Permanent Collection, July 2 to November 29, 2009.