[Charles Edward Stuart, also known as Charles Manning Allan]

Art Historical Context

This striking salted paper print, created between 1843 and 1847 by the Scottish partnership of David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, captures a thoughtful portrait of Charles Edward Stuart, also known as Charles Manning Allan. Hill and Adamson were pioneers of early photography, collaborating during the medium’s infancy to produce thousands of images that elevated the new technology to an art form. Their work often featured prominent Scottish figures, rendered with remarkable sensitivity and depth. The photograph employs the calotype process, an innovative technique using paper negatives that allowed for multiple prints and lent a soft, atmospheric quality to the image. Unlike the sharper daguerreotype, this method suited Hill and Adamson’s painterly approach, influenced by their backgrounds in painting and drawing. The result is a dignified likeness that feels both intimate and timeless, reflecting the era’s fascination with capturing individual character through light and shadow. As one of the earliest artistic portrait photographs in the Met’s collection, this piece highlights photography’s rapid rise as a cultural force in the Victorian age. It invites viewers to consider how such images preserved not just faces, but the spirit of a changing world.

About the Artist

David Octavius Hill|Robert Adamson|Hill and Adamson · 1802–1870

David Octavius Hill (1802–1870) was a Scottish painter, photographer, and arts administrator whose pioneering photography partnership with Robert Adamson from 1843 to 1847 transformed the medium into an art form. Born in Perth and trained in Edinburgh, Hill established himself as a landscape painter and became secretary of the Royal Scottish Academy, a position he held for nearly forty years. His ...