David Octavius Hill (1802-1870)

Aliases: David Octavius (1802) Hill; Hill and Adamson

Professions: Landscape painter; Lithographer; Photographer; Illustrator

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  David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson

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  David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson

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  David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson

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  David Octavius Hill (1802 - 1870) and Robert Adamson (1821 - 1848)

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David Octavius Hill Biography

(b Perth, Scotland, 1802; d Edinburgh, 1870) Scottish Photographer. David Octavius Hill began his training at the Edinburgh School of Design, where he learned lithographic techniques. In 1829 Hill aided in the formation of the Scottish Academy and was soon commissioned to create book illustrations. In 1836, David Octavius Hill accepted the esteemed position of secretary at the Royal Scottish Academy. Hill’s photographic career truly began in 1843 at the Disruption Assembly, a gathering of hundreds of ministers who left behind the Church of Scotland and formed the Free Church of Scotland. Hill documented the event with fellow photographer Robert Adamson. The two formed a partnership, creating thousands of prints of everyday life in Scotland. However, the partnership was short-lived, for Adamson fell ill and died in 1848. Unable to create a substantial following of his own, in addition to his grievances regarding the death of his daughter, Hill’s career slowed dramatically towards the 1860s. In 1869, due to an illness, Hill was forced to resign as secretary from the Royal Scottish Academy and past away the following year.

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