Bonaly Towers. Home of Lord Cockburn 1843 - 1847

This calotype was made in Scotland, sometime between 1843 and 1848, by the partnership of David Hill and Robert Adamson. It shows the family of Lord Cockburn at their estate, Bonaly Towers. Hill and Adamson made thousands of these paper negatives, documenting Scottish life, but their portraits of the elite capture a society defined by class. In this image, Lord Cockburn and his family are arranged on the grounds of their estate, presenting themselves as figures of authority and refinement. Note the clear separation of the family from the servants who attend them in the doorway; a perfect illustration of Victorian hierarchy. To understand the social and cultural context of this photograph, one could research the history of the Cockburn family, the development of photography in Scotland, and the social conventions of the Victorian era. These investigations reveal how art is often shaped by the social and institutional forces of its time.