Untitled [James (or Sandy) Linton, New Haven Fisherman]

Trained painter David Octavius Hill and chemist Robert Adamson formed Scotland’s first photographic studio and were photographic partners from June 1843 until Adamson’s death in January 1848. Hill was in charge of composing the images, while Adamson handled the camera and processing. Using large 16 x 13-inch negatives, the pair photographed scenes of general interest, including landscapes, architectural and street scenes, and portraits of workers. Their body of work included approximately 130 images of everyday life in Newhaven, a district in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. In this image, Hill and Adamson were unable to show this fisherman at sea due to the long exposure times required by the nascent medium, so they surrounded him with the attributes of his job. The pair sought to portray the importance of hard work and tradition among the Newhaven community.