Unknown officer and three mounted soldiers of the Leith Fort Artillery
About this artwork
This calotype by David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson shows a group of officers and soldiers from the Royal Artillery. It was taken within the walls of Leith Fort, which was located on North Fort Street in Leith. Built in 1779 by architect James Craig, the fort was used as an army base by the Royal Artillery until the early 1950s, when it was largely demolished. The building in the background of this photograph is the fort’s gatehouse, which incidentally is now the only remaining part of the original structure. This photograph is of particular interest for its slanting use of light, as the camera is nearly pointing into the sun.
Updated before 2020
see media-
artists:
-
title:Unknown officer and three mounted soldiers of the Leith Fort Artillery
-
date created:1843 - 1847
-
materials:Salted paper print
-
measurements:14.00 x 19.00 cm
-
object type:
-
accession number:PGP HA 422
-
gallery:
-
depicted:
-
subject:
Robert Adamson
Robert Adamson
Robert Adamson was one of the first professional photographers, setting up in business in Edinburgh in March 1843. He had aspired to be an engineer but his health was too poor. His brother, John, who was involved in the early experiments with photography in St Andrews, taught him the calotype...