Thomas Rodger (18 April 1832 – 6 January 1883) was an early Scottish photographer. He studied at 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 ...

and was a protégé of Dr. John Adamson who also persuaded him to become a photographer. At age 14, he was apprenticed to Dr. James, a local chemist and druggist, whilst studying 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 ...

. Adamson later taught him the

calotype 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 co ...

process which he had earlier taught his famous brother, Robert Adamson. Adamson persuaded him to assist

Lord Kinnaird Lord Kinnaird was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1682 for George Kinnaird. The ninth Lord was created Baron Rossie, of Rossie in the County of Perth, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831, with normal remainder to th ...

in his calotype studio at

Rossie Priory Rossie Priory is a category B listed country house and estate to the north of Inchture, near the hamlets of Baledgarno and Knapp, Perthshire, Scotland. It lies by road west of the city centre of Dundee. The large estate is roughly 2000 acres. ...

. Rodger enrolled at the

Andersonian College The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

of Glasgow to study medicine, but Adamson persuaded him to set up a professional business in calotyping in St Andrews. In 1853, he was awarded the Aberdeen Mechanics' Institution Medal. In 1855, Rodger was awarded the Silver Medal of the Society of the Arts for his paper on Collodion Calotype. He won the Edinburgh Photographic Society Medal in 1856 and the

International Photographic Exhibition Medal International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

in 1877. When the Photographic Society of Scotland was established in 1856, Rodger was one of its original members. Rodger's photographs can mainly be found in the St Andrews University Library and

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

. He was also the author of the best known portrait of his master John Adamson in around 1865. Rodger himself was a protégé of Ivan Szabo (1822–1858) in the 1850s, who later opened his own studio in Edinburgh. Rodger was known to attend the Congregational Church at St Andrews, along with James Valentine, whom he probably photographed in around 1850. There is a blue plaque in his honour in St Andrews outside his house and studio (now the University Careers Centre). It says "The first professional photographer in St. Andrews, he was taught the calotype process by Dr John Adamson, who induced him to make it his life's work. His pictorial record of the town, its people, the fisher folk and eminent visitors, brought him great fame. His favour with visiting royalty gave him journeys to London on Royal Photographic missions. He built this house and in it the first photographic studio in the town. Brewster, the Adamsons and Rodger made St. Andrews a world centre of photography."Blue Plaque for Thomas Rodger
/ref>

References

Further reading