[The King Fisher, Newhaven]

Dutifully standing by a boat and basket of fishing line, this boy appears to accept his destiny of becoming a fisherman in New Haven, Scotland. There is a tenderness and poignancy to the image; Hill and Adamson (David Octavius Hill [1802-70] and Robert Adamson [1821-48]) contrast the size of the child with the tools associated with his demanding trade. While the boat and basket are typical props, the chair was probably employed to provide support for the lad during the exposure.</>

Hill inscribed this print with the words "His faither's breeks he hath girded on," alluding to the fact that the boy is wearing clothes belonging to his father. This suggests that the adult has been lost at sea and that his son has assumed the responsibility of fishing.

Anne M. Lyden. Hill and Adamson, In Focus: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1999), 76. ©1999, J. Paul Getty Museum.

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