The Scots who pioneered photography
More than 200 of the oldest photographs taken in Scotland are to go on display at the National Galleries of Scotland.
The influential partnership of David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson lasted for less than five years before the premature death of Adamson, aged just 26. But it produced thousands of images which are admired by photographers to this day. Within four years of the invention of photography being announced to the world in 1839, Hill and Adamson had mastered the new medium and were producing innovative work from their studio in Edinburgh. A Perfect Chemistry: Photographs by Hill & Adamson is one of the biggest exhibitions of their work to be staged in recent years. The pioneering partnership came about due to an unlikely event, the 'Disruption' of the Church of Scotland Assembly. This was where 450 ministers - upset over the issue of the church's relationship with the state - left to form the Free Church of Scotland. Hill decided he would record the event with a painting. He was put in touch Adamson, who could take photographs of the clergymen. This would be a quick way for Hill to record a likeness of the men at this momentous meeting so he could transform them into a large painting. Over the next four years, they took about 3,000 pictures including images of the clergymen. The duo's ambitions saw them quickly extend their repertoire to include portraits of Edinburgh society figures, scenes from the capital and documentary images of fisherfolk in nearby Newhaven. Their images of the working class community in the Newhaven area of Edinburgh are thought to be the first photographic studies of ordinary working people. Their partnership came to an early end when Adamson died in 1848. A Perfect Chemistry: Photographs by Hill and Adamson is being shown at the National Galleries of Scotland from 27 May to 1 October. . Related Internet Links A Perfect Chemistry - Photographs by Hill and Adamson - National Galleries of Scotland