Sir William Allen
Medium
Salted paper print from paper negative
Dimensions
8 x 6
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.1328
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking salted paper print, titled *Sir William Allen* (ca. 1845), captures the Scottish painter and knight in a dignified portrait by the pioneering photographers David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson. Measuring just 8 x 6 inches, the image depicts Allen with swords and shields—likely symbols of his military-themed historical paintings and his own knighthood. Produced using the calotype process, a paper negative yields a soft, textured positive print on salted paper, showcasing the era's innovative light sensitivity and subtle tonal range. Hill and Adamson, active in Edinburgh from 18...
About the Artist
Robert Adamson|Hill and Adamson|David Octavius Hill (British, Scottish|British, Scottish|British, Scottish) · 1802 |1821 |1843 –1870 |1848 |1848
British, Perth, Scotland 1802–1870 Edinburgh, Scotland|British, St. Andrews, Scotland 1821–1848 St. Andrews, Scotland|British, active 1843–1848