[Mrs. Anne Rigby, née Anne Palgrave]

Mrs. Anne Rigby (1777-1872) moved to Edinburgh from Norfolk, England, in 1842, accompanied by her daughters Matilda (1815-date unknown) and Elizabeth (1809-93) (see 84.XP.460.7). Described by one relative as "a bright, clever, energetic woman," Mrs. Rigby "was a strict disciplinarian as to punctuality" who "never allowed her children to have 'nerves.'" The severity of this portrait, taken in profile by Hill and Adamson (David Octavius Hill [1802-70] and Robert Adamson [1821-48]), emphasizes her strong character. The white, lace pelerine is contrasted with the dark dress, whose leaf pattern echoes the blurred foliage in the background.

This photograph anticipates and may even have influenced the iconic painting Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter's Mother (1871; Musée d'Orsay) by James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903). The American expatriate visited Edinburgh in July 1849 and, having connections with both Sir William Allan (1782-1850) (see 88.XM.57.46) and the Rigbys, may have had the opportunity to view Hill and Adamson's calotypes. It is known that in May 1893, more than twenty years after the completion of the painting, the Secessionist photographer James Craig Annan (1864-1946) sent copies of some of Hill and Adamson's pictures to Whistler, who was dutifully impressed with their work. (See other portraits of Mrs. Rigby: 84.XO.734.4.3.4, 84.XO.734.4.3.5, 84.XO.734.4.2.46, 84.XO.608.4).

Anne M. Lyden. Hill and Adamson, In Focus: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1999), 52. ©1999, J. Paul Getty Museum.