Robert Adamson (26 April 1821 – 14 January 1848) was a
Scottish chemist and pioneer photographer at
Hill & Adamson
Hill & Adamson was the first photography studio in Scotland, set up by painter David Octavius Hill and engineer Robert Adamson in 1843. During their brief partnership that ended with Adamson's untimely death, Hill & Adamson produced "the first s ...
. He is best known for his pioneering photographic work with
David Octavius Hill
David Octavius Hill (20 May 1802 – 17 May 1870) was a Scottish painter, photographer and arts activist. He formed Hill & Adamson studio with the engineer and photographer Robert Adamson between 1843 and 1847 to pioneer many aspects of pho ...
and producing some 2500
calotypes
Calotype or talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot, using paper coated with silver iodide. Paper texture effects in calotype photography limit the ability of this early process to record low ...
, mostly portraits, within 5 years after being hired by Hill in 1843, before his life was cut short.
Early years
![Rock House, Calton Hill](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Rock_House%2C_Calton_Hill.jpg)
Adamson was born in
St Andrews
St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...
, one of ten children of Rachel Melville and Alexander Adamson, a
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
tenant farmer.
He grew up in
Burnside and was educated at
Madras College
Madras College, often referred to as Madras, is a Scottish comprehensive secondary school located in St Andrews, Fife. It educates over 1,400 pupils aged between 11 and 18 and was founded in 1833 by the Rev. Dr Andrew Bell.
History
Madras ...
in St Andrews where he showed exceptional talents in mathematics and mechanics, twice winning the prize for mathematics. He became employed at an engineering shop from a young age,
and apprenticed as a
millwright for several months.
Career
Adamson was keen on becoming an engineer, but ill health led to him pursuing photography.
He was taught
calotype by his brother,
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
, and by the physicist
David Brewster
Sir David Brewster KH PRSE FRS FSA Scot FSSA MICE (11 December 178110 February 1868) was a British scientist, inventor, author, and academic administrator. In science he is principally remembered for his experimental work in physical optics ...
of the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
in the late 1830s.
As early as April 1839, Adamson's talents were recognised, and
Fox Talbot
William Henry Fox Talbot FRS FRSE FRAS (; 11 February 180017 September 1877) was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later ...
, the inventor of the calotype, would call his pictures "Rembrandtish".
Adamson's brother John, a general practitioner, lecturer, and curator of the
University Museum
A university museum is a repository of collections run by a university, typically founded to aid teaching and research within the institution of higher learning. The Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford in England is an early example, o ...
, produced the first calotype in Scotland in 1841.
![His Faither’s Breeks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/His_Faither%E2%80%99s_Breeks.jpg)
The young chemist,
Adamson, established his photographic studio at
Rock House,
Calton Hill Stairs in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, on 10 May 1843.
In June, Brewster recommended Adamson to
David Octavius Hill
David Octavius Hill (20 May 1802 – 17 May 1870) was a Scottish painter, photographer and arts activist. He formed Hill & Adamson studio with the engineer and photographer Robert Adamson between 1843 and 1847 to pioneer many aspects of pho ...
(1802–1870), a painter of romantic Scottish landscapes, who hired him;
and they were commissioned in 1843 to make a group portrait of the 470 clergymen who founded the
Free Church of Scotland. Hill had desired to make photographic portraits of the founders purely as reference material.
This painting, however, would not be completed until 1866, long after his death.
The first studio specialising in calotypes in Edinburgh,
Adamson's studio practice was said to have been "confidential to the point of secrecy".
Hill required calotypes from which he would paint. Distinguished persons from many fields came to be photographed by the partners and within a few years they had taken the art scene by storm in Scotland.
Together they made around 2500 portraits,
some say 3000 or more,
and numerous views of
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
between 1843 and 1848, exhibiting in 1844, 1845 and 1846.
Their prints were sold at the Princes Street gallery of Alexander Hill. After Hill and Adamson decided to publish their work, they purchased a specialised camera in 1844, but their plans to produce albums, paid by subscription, did not gain traction.
Their depictions, in soft reddish-brown or sepia,
included local and
Fife
Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...
landscapes and urban scenes, including images of the
Scott Monument
The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It is the second largest monument to a writer in the world after the José Martí monument in Havana. It stands in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh, oppo ...
, under construction in Edinburgh. They produced several groundbreaking "action" photographs of soldiers and – perhaps their most famous photograph – two priests walking side by side. Their depictions of groups and children were unrivaled.
As well as the great and the good, they photographed ordinary working folk, particularly the fishermen of
Newhaven and their wives. Their social documentary series on Newhaven fishing families, which depicted living conditions and community relationships, was to be the most notable work of the partnership.
[Hannavy (2007), p. 659]
By mid-1847, the studio stopped production due to the failing health of Adamson. Thinking to recuperate amidst his family, Adamson returned to St Andrews. He died on 14 January 1848, at the age of 26.
In 1851, the works of Hill & Adamson's appeared at
The Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took pl ...
.
Hill returned to painting, but it wasn't until 1872 that their work was rediscovered. In 1905, 1912, and 1914, some of their works appeared in ''
Camera Work
''Camera Work'' was a quarterly photographic journal published by Alfred Stieglitz from 1903 to 1917. It presented high-quality photogravures by some of the most important photographers in the world, with the goal to establish photography as a ...
''. There were also several New York City exhibits at
Alfred Stieglitz
Alfred Stieglitz (January 1, 1864 – July 13, 1946) was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his 50-year career in making photography an accepted art form. In addition to his photography, Stieglitz was kno ...
's
291 Art Gallery and at the
National Arts Club.
Partial works
* ''Miss Justine Munro''
* ''Miss Grizzel Baillie, Scotland''
* ''Mrs. Barbara (Johnstone) Flucker Opening Oysters''
* ''Bringing in the catch''
* ''Officer of the 92nd Gordon Highlanders Reading to the Troops, Edinburgh Castle''
* ''The Fairy Tree at Colinton''
* ''The Gowan''
* ''The Minnow Pool''
* ''The Rev. Dr. Jabez Bunting, Scotland''
* ''Dumbarton Presbytery''
* ''Willie Liston Redding the Line''
References
External links
Works in the National Galleries of Scotland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Robert
1821 births
1848 deaths
People from St Andrews
19th-century Scottish photographers