Likeness of the Portraitist Robert Frain, David Octavius Hill
David Octavius Hill
Likeness of the Portraitist Robert Frain
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David Octavius Hill

Likeness of the Portraitist Robert Frain, ca. 1845


Blatt
19.4 x 14.2 cm
Gesamtmaß
35.1 x 27.3 cm
Physical Description
Calotype on vellum mounted on cardboard
Inventory Number
St.F.103
Acquisition
Acquired in 2011 with support from the Kulturstiftung der Länder and the Hessischer Kulturstiftung, property of the Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.
Status
Not on display

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About the Work

Invented around 1840, the calotype was the first photographic process based on the negative. This photograph is a very early example. The portrait painter Robert Frain had to pose without moving for several minutes. He is in the act of drawing, and concentrating hard on his work. Himself a trained landscape painter, Hill photographed his colleague in a manner that was also typical of painting of the period. The subject matter, arrangement and props are identical. In 1843 Hill began his collaboration with chemist Robert Adamson. Both men are considered pioneers of photography.

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Last update

15.11.2024