DAVID OCTAVIUS HILL (1802-1870) & ROBERT ADAMSON (1821-1848) Portrait of the painter David Roberts. Salted paper print, the image measuring 8x6 inches (20.3x15.2 cm.). 1844
The Hill and Adamson partnership lasted only four and a half years, but resulted in an enduringly influential and remarkable body of work. Self-consciously artistic as well as documentarian, their portraiture stands as one of the earliest and greatest achievements of the medium. The outdoor setting, employed frequently by the pair, creates an atmospheric scene defined by light, as well as an appealing sense of immediacy.
David Roberts, a Scottish painter, is best-known for his volume The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia, illustrated with lithographs from sketches he made on his travels to the Holy Land. Examples are prized on the auction market today.
