David Octavius Hill
Small archive related to the pioneering photographer, 1850s-70s
Albumen prints (5), photogravure (1), oil on board (1), ink on paper (1), and ephemera
Various sizes.
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A remarkable and intimate archive of artwork and documents pertaining to the Scottish painter and photographer, D. O. Hill (1802–1870) and his family, including original photographs, marriage certificates, a well-executed...
A remarkable and intimate archive of artwork and documents pertaining to the Scottish painter and photographer, D. O. Hill (1802–1870) and his family, including original photographs, marriage certificates, a well-executed painting, an ink wash landscape by Hill, and a letter from Hill pertaining to the death of his dog in October, 1869.
The six photographs present include an 1844 portrait of Hill by his former partner Robert Adamson. A notation on verso identifies this as a carbon print made by the photographer F. C. Annan from the original calotype negative. Also present are portraits of Hill with his sister, and a portrait of his daughter, Charlotte, entitled "Burd Alane." This pair of photographs were made by Hill and Alexander McGlashen, c. 1860, at the Rock House garden on Calton Hill, in a partnership that lasted mere days. This is one Hill's last known portraits of his daughter, before her untimely death in 1862. A second, albumen print portraying Charlotte is also included. We have been unable to locate this image elsewhere but it appears to predate the Hill/McGlashen partnership by a few years.
There are several documents pertaining to Charlotte Hill’s marriage to Walter Scott Dagleish, whom the records describe as having worked as an English teacher. The oil painting by Hill shows three figures sitting in the park; one of the sitters was Hill’s daughter Charlotte, and an inscription to verso reads “To our dear Walter / on his 29th birthday” with signatures from both Charlotte and Hill. It should also be noted that the seller’s label to verso indicates that the board was furnished by Hill’s brother Alexander, who owned an art supply business. The ink wash landscape, signed by Hill, depicts a scenic park, with a bridge crossing a river surrounded by trees.
The archive also includes a glove purported by his great granddaughter, Mrs. E. Grindall, to have been worn by Hill himself as a child and a letter from Hill to an unidentified recipient.
Hill found great success as a photographer working with Robert Adamson. Adamson’s technical ability with the camera and Hill’s sense of lighting and composition allowed the pair to push the art of photography forward while documenting contemporary life in Scotland. Adam’s death in 1848 put an end to the collaboration, and while Hill took up photography again in the early 1860s, his daughter’s early death in 1862 proved too much for him. His productivity and quality never reached the same heights, and he died in 1870.
The six photographs present include an 1844 portrait of Hill by his former partner Robert Adamson. A notation on verso identifies this as a carbon print made by the photographer F. C. Annan from the original calotype negative. Also present are portraits of Hill with his sister, and a portrait of his daughter, Charlotte, entitled "Burd Alane." This pair of photographs were made by Hill and Alexander McGlashen, c. 1860, at the Rock House garden on Calton Hill, in a partnership that lasted mere days. This is one Hill's last known portraits of his daughter, before her untimely death in 1862. A second, albumen print portraying Charlotte is also included. We have been unable to locate this image elsewhere but it appears to predate the Hill/McGlashen partnership by a few years.
There are several documents pertaining to Charlotte Hill’s marriage to Walter Scott Dagleish, whom the records describe as having worked as an English teacher. The oil painting by Hill shows three figures sitting in the park; one of the sitters was Hill’s daughter Charlotte, and an inscription to verso reads “To our dear Walter / on his 29th birthday” with signatures from both Charlotte and Hill. It should also be noted that the seller’s label to verso indicates that the board was furnished by Hill’s brother Alexander, who owned an art supply business. The ink wash landscape, signed by Hill, depicts a scenic park, with a bridge crossing a river surrounded by trees.
The archive also includes a glove purported by his great granddaughter, Mrs. E. Grindall, to have been worn by Hill himself as a child and a letter from Hill to an unidentified recipient.
Hill found great success as a photographer working with Robert Adamson. Adamson’s technical ability with the camera and Hill’s sense of lighting and composition allowed the pair to push the art of photography forward while documenting contemporary life in Scotland. Adam’s death in 1848 put an end to the collaboration, and while Hill took up photography again in the early 1860s, his daughter’s early death in 1862 proved too much for him. His productivity and quality never reached the same heights, and he died in 1870.