Church of Sts. Peter and Paul
1855-1856
Medium
albumen print
Dimensions
image: 21.5 × 27 cm (8 7/16 × 10 5/8 in.) mount: 32.5 × 40.8 cm (12 13/16 × 16 1/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Michael and Jane Wilson
Accession Number
2012.137.4.25
Art Historical Context
Step into the vivid world of early photography with James Robertson's *Church of Sts. Peter and Paul* (1855–1856), an albumen print capturing architectural grandeur amid historical turmoil. Robertson, a pioneering British photographer, produced this 21.5 × 27 cm image on a larger mount, showcasing the church's imposing facade with remarkable clarity and tonal depth. Albumen prints, made by coating paper with egg whites sensitized with silver salts, were the gold standard of the 1850s, yielding rich contrasts and fine details that brought distant scenes to life for viewers back home. Created d...
About the Artist
James Robertson
James Downie Robertson, known professionally as James D. Robertson (1931–2010), was a distinguished Scottish painter whose vibrant depictions of the rugged West Coast landscapes profoundly shaped modern Scottish art. Born in Cowdenbeath, Fife, as one of twin boys, his family relocated to Glasgow at the outset of World War II, where he attended Hillhead High School. Robertson studied at the Glasgow...