Sir John McNeill 1843 - 1847

This portrait of Sir John McNeill was made sometime between 1843 and 1848 by the Scottish duo Hill and Adamson, using the calotype process. Now, calotype is a very particular kind of photography. Unlike later photographic methods that produced sharp, almost clinical images, the calotype is characterized by its softness, its almost painterly quality. This is because the process used paper negatives, which inherently lack the precision of glass or film. See how the details here seem to almost blend together? That's the paper fibers doing their work. Hill and Adamson were masters of this technique, and they weren't just making portraits. They saw themselves as artists, using a new medium to capture the spirit of their sitters. They also produced a huge number of prints, hinting at a more modern, industrial process to come. Next time you look at a photograph, remember the humble paper that helped make it all possible.