Burnside, Fife / Island in the Almond River 1843 - 1847

This is a calotype print of "Burnside, Fife / Island in the Almond River" made by Hill and Adamson in Scotland, sometime in the 1840s. In this period, photography was still a new and contested medium. It was seen by some as a threat to traditional artistic practices like painting, while others saw it as a new tool for documentation and expression. Hill and Adamson were among the pioneers who explored the artistic possibilities of photography, capturing the Scottish landscape through the soft focus and grainy texture of the calotype process. Their choice of subject matter is also revealing. By focusing on the natural beauty of the Scottish landscape, they were participating in a broader cultural movement that sought to define a distinct national identity for Scotland. The historian can use a variety of sources to understand this work, from photographic journals to historical surveys. In the end, a piece like this reminds us that art does not exist in a vacuum.