[Durham Cathedral]

Prior to William Henry Fox Talbot's visit to Scotland in the fall of 1844, Hill and Adamson (David Octavius Hill [1802-70] and Robert Adamson [1821-48]) traveled to York, England, for the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The organization, founded in 1829 (Sir David Brewster [1781-1868], the man who introduced photography to the Adamson family, was one of its original members), held these meetings as a forum for the exchange of information about the latest scientific developments. Before making the trip at the end of September, Hill and Adamson had to request permission from Talbot (1800-77) to work in England. After developing the calotype in 1840, Talbot had quickly patented the process, thereby restricting its use to those photographers who sought and gained his approval. On the suggestion of Brewster, Talbot had refrained from extending his patent to Scotland, meaning Hill and Adamson were able to work there freely. Talbot granted permission for the two Scotsmen to make photographs at the York meeting, perhaps because he was aware that he would be working in Scotland in the very near future.

Once in York, Hill and Adamson created calotypes of most of the participants as well as pictures of some of the surrounding architecture, including this impressive view of nearby Durham Cathedral. The image was made with a large-format camera, acquired in the spring of 1844 from Thomas Davidson, an optician in Edinburgh who specialized in photographic equipment. The camera measured two feet square and was used primarily to make architectural studies, as the increased size meant an increase in exposure time. The bigger camera was evidently not practical, however; most of Hill and Adamson's prints are from smaller devices.

Anne M. Lyden. Hill and Adamson, In Focus: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1999), 48. ©1999, J. Paul Getty Museum.