Finlay Children 1843 - 1847

This photograph of the Finlay children was made by Hill and Adamson in Scotland between 1843 and 1848, using a process called calotype. Calotype was an early photographic process that used paper coated with silver iodide. The paper negative was then used to make a positive print. What I find fascinating is how this process inflects the image. Unlike later photographic methods, calotype yields a soft, almost painterly quality. Look at how the light gently shapes the children's faces and clothes. Because the process was not capable of capturing fine details, there’s an inherent abstraction, which separates it from straight documentation. Hill and Adamson were not just passively recording reality; they were crafting images with distinct aesthetic qualities. As such, this photograph can be seen as occupying a space between pure documentation and artistic expression.