Rev. Thomas Chalmers, 1780 - 1847. Preacher and social reformer
About this artwork
Thomas Chalmers, known for his radical views on social reform and poor-relief, was the leader of the evangelical party in the Church of Scotland. During the Disruption in 1843 he led the group of dissenting ministers, becoming the first Moderator of the Free Church. The emotion and excitement of the Disruption caused David Octavius Hill to start work on a large-scale painting commemorating the event, which he eventually finished twenty-three years later. Hill and his partner Robert Adamson took hundreds of the newly invented calotypes to create faithful likenesses of the 400 people in the painting. Although Chalmers's calotype was taken for this purpose, this particular pose only appears in an early design for the painting and does not feature in the finished work.
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title:Rev. Thomas Chalmers, 1780 - 1847. Preacher and social reformer
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accession number:PGP HA 552
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materials:Salted paper print
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date created:1843
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measurements:15.00 x 11.00 cm
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credit line:Provenance unknown
David Octavius Hill
Robert Adamson
David Octavius Hill
A painter and a lithographer by training, David Octavius Hill is best remembered for the beauty of the calotypes he and Robert Adamson produced together. Hill was a sociable and kind-hearted man who did much to support the arts in Scotland and between 1830 and 1836 he was the unpaid…
Robert Adamson
Robert Adamson was one of the first professional photographers, setting up in business in Edinburgh in March 1843. He had aspired to be an engineer but his health was too poor. His brother, John, who was involved in the early experiments with photography in St Andrews, taught him the calotype…
