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Thomas Leverton Donaldson

Harold L. Doolittle; David Octavius Hill; Robert Adamson

Artwork Details

Thomas Leverton Donaldson
1847-1947
Harold L. Doolittle; David Octavius Hill; Robert Adamson
photogravure on paper
8 15/16 x 6 3/4 in. (22.8 x 17.2 cm);14 5/16 in x 19 5/16 in (36.35 cm x 49.05 cm);6 13/16 in x 9 in (17.3 cm x 22.8 cm);4 1/2 in x 6 9/16 in (11.5 cm x 16.7 cm);7 3/8 in x 5 5/16 in (18.8 cm x 13.5 cm)
Museum Purchase
1989/1.58

Description

Subject Matter:

Printed in rich brown tones, this photogravure is a portrait of a older, seated man in a three piece suit. The man reclines on the armrest of his chair, his head turned to the side, eyes downcast and appearing to smile. The image seems to have been taken inside a domestic setting, as there is evidence of walls and architectural elements behind him. The man depicted is the Scottish architect, Thomas Leverton Donaldson. The photographers who originally created this image, David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, received instruction from William Henry Fox Talbot, the inventor of the calotype. 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 into an artistic medium. The calotype negative they produced was later used to create this photogravure.

Physical Description:

This photograph is a portrait of an older, seated man in a three piece suit. He is looking to the side in an interior space.

Usage Rights:

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