D.O. Hill and others in Greyfriars Churchyard
David Octavius Hill
British, 1802–1870
Robert Adamson
British, 1821–1848
c. 1841-48
An early calotype photograph of a small group posed before an ornate churchyard memorial, made to record both the people and the carved inscription using the new paper-negative photographic process.
What strikes you first are the soft sepia tones and gentle focus of the calotype, the quietly staged grouping of seated women and standing men, and the way light picks out the textured relief of the sculpted stone and inscription.
As an early paper-negative image, it demonstrates how mid‑19th‑century photographers began to use photography to document architecture, inscriptions, and social groups, helping to establish the medium’s documentary and artistic possibilities.
Medium
Calotype
Dimensions
8 5/8 × 6 3/8" (22.0 × 17.0 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Warner Communications, Inc.
Accession
841.1978
Palette
Exhibitions
