David Octavius Hill & Robert Adamson

Rev. Dr David Welsh, 1793 - 1845. Professor of Church History at Edinburgh University; Professor of Divinity at New College, Edinburgh; Moderator...

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About this artwork

As the moderator of the General Assembly, it was David Welsh who laid the protest on the table of the meeting, triggering the 1843 disruption and subsequent creation of the Free Church of Scotland. A seminal moment in the history of the Scottish Church, David Octavius Hill proposed the creation of a monumental painting to mark the event and it was suggested to him that he use calotype photography to capture the likeness of the participants. Therefore it was also a seminal moment in the history of photography, leading to Hills partnership with Robert Adamson.

Updated before 2020

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David Octavius Hill

David Octavius Hill