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David Octavius Hill - Burd Alane
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David Octavius Hill, Alexander McGlashan..about 1860..Accession no. PGP EPS 96 .Medium Albumen print .Size 27.10 x 21.20 cm .Credit Presented by the Edinburgh Photographic Society 1987. PGP EPS 96 ) .
David Octavius Hill was a Scottish painter and photographer. He was a pioneer of photography in Scotland and is best known for his collaboration with Robert Adamson in which they produced some of the most important early photographs of Scotland.
In 1843, Hill was commissioned to paint a group portrait of the leaders of the Free Church of Scotland, which became known as the "Disruption Assembly" painting. He then decided to photograph the same people in order to have a more accurate representation of the individuals. This commission led him to take up photography and he teamed up with Robert Adamson, who was a master of the new collodion process. Together, they produced a large body of work that depicted the people and landscapes of Scotland during the mid-19th century. Their photographs are considered some of the most important early photographs of Scotland, and are widely recognized for their technical excellence and artistry.
National Galleries of Scotland looks after one of the world's finest collections of Western art ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day. These holdings include the National Collection of Scottish art which we are proud to display in an international context. Scotland’s privileged position in the history of modernity lends it a rich photographic tradition. From the beginnings of the medium small groups of scientists and gentlemen amateurs explored its technical and artistic potential. One such group formed around the optical scientist, Sir David Brewster, at St. Andrews, and professional studios – including the partnership of Robert Adamson and David Octavius Hill – were established in Edinburgh from 1843. From the mid 1850s, technological change helped drive a dramatic expansion of photography, with large commercial operations established by the Valentine family in Dundee and George Washington Wilson in Aberdeen.
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