Newhaven 1843 - 1847

"Newhaven" is a calotype photograph created by the Scottish partnership of Robert Adamson and David Octavius Hill between 1843 and 1847. The image, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, showcases the duo’s pioneering work in early photography. The photograph captures a scene of daily life in Newhaven, a fishing village in Scotland, focusing on a group of boats pulled up on the shore with a group of people sitting in front of them. Their use of the calotype process, a technique that produced a negative image on paper, resulted in a distinctive soft focus and nuanced tonal range, capturing the texture of the boats and the rugged landscape. The work reflects Hill and Adamson’s interest in documenting everyday life and capturing the social realities of their time.