[Arbroath Presbytery Group]

In his painting The Disruption Picture,David Hill wanted to reflect the egalitarianism that was at the very core of the Free Church of Scotland. If he adhered to the precepts of historical painting, however, the image would be composed of a hierarchy of elements, with the important figures positioned in the center and the less important individuals towards the outside. He was therefore committed to the idea of conveying each minister the same way. Group photographs such as these mounted together on an album page allowed Hill to study the spatial arrangement of initially separate figures.