[Newhaven Fishermen]

It is unlikely that the people of Newhaven, Scotland, had seen a camera before Hill and Adamson (David Octavius Hill [1802-70] and Robert Adamson [1821-48]) began working in their community. This unfamiliarity with the photographic medium meant that the fisherfolk were not predisposed to seeing themselves in any particular way. As a result, each image possesses a great degree of naturalism, despite the careful poses arranged by Hill and Adamson. In this picture eleven fishermen are casually standing on the beach, seemingly oblivious to the presence of the photographers. The top hats silhouetted against the blank sky and the white trousers contrasted with the dark clothing create a striking image.

Although one may argue that the Newhaven images are the first social documentary photographs, it is doubtful that Hill and Adamson planned to use them to any sociopolitical end. The importance of the pictures lies in the artists' recognition that they could go beyond the confines of the studio to make calotypes of live subjects in situ. The result is a series of candid prints that are both beautiful and arresting.

Anne M. Lyden. Hill and Adamson, In Focus: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1999), 80. ©1999, J. Paul Getty Museum.

For more information about Hill and Adamson’s photographic series on Newhaven see: Hill and Adamson: Place