Thomas Leverton Donaldson
David Octavius Hill; Robert Adamson
Description
Subject Matter:
This photographic negative depicts an older, seated man in a three piece suit. The man reclines on the armrest of his chair, his head turned to the side, the inverted tones of the negative rendering his light skin as a rich dark. The man is the Scottish architect, Thomas Leverton Donaldson. The photographers who created this image, David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, received instruction from William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of the calotype. This calotype negative was later printed as a salted paper print. Hill and Adamson enjoyed a deeply prolific collaboration together, which was tragically cut short by Hill’s premature death. In the five years they worked together, they produced a remarkable body of work that served to elevate perception of the newly invented process of photography into an artistic medium.
Physical Description:
This photographic negative depicts an older man seated in an interior. His head is turned to the side and he wears a three-piece suit.
Usage Rights:
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