{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1809562"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1809562/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PK1725/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PK1725/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2025PK1725","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1809562","accessionNumber":"RPS.2229:20-2025","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"The Harper of Holyrood","type":"generic title"},{"title":"Irish Harper","type":"alternative title"},{"title":"Patrick Byrne, Irish Harpist","type":"generic title"},{"title":"Calotypes","type":"series title"}],"summaryDescription":"","physicalDescription":"Sepia-coloured photographic portrait of a sealted man shown in 3/4 view posed with an harp.  He is seated in an ornately carved chair and wears a crown.  He wears a short cape and is draped with a fringed shawl.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Hill, David Octavius","id":"N4882"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"x43821"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Adamson, Robert","id":"A11654"},"association":{"text":"photographer","id":"x43821"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Hill & Adamson","id":"AUTH382430"},"association":{"text":"photographers","id":"AAT25687"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"salted paper","id":"AAT127389"}],"techniques":[{"text":"photography","id":"AAT54225"},{"text":"salted paper process","id":"THES394223"},{"text":"calotype","id":"AAT53484"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Salt paper print from calotype negative.","categories":[{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Scotland","id":"THES262877"},{"text":"The Royal Photographic Society","id":"THES281081"},{"text":"Portraits","id":"THES48906"},{"text":"Musical instruments","id":"THES48919"}],"styles":[{"text":"mid 19th century","id":"x41031"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"DOP","id":"THES291628"},"images":["2025PK1725"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"MB006","shelf":"BY007","box":"XRP 733"}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"photograph","id":"AAT46300"}],[{"text":"album","id":"AAT26690"}],[{"text":"salted paper print","id":"AAT127149"}],[{"text":"calotype","id":"AAT53484"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Edinburgh","id":"x28816"},"association":{"text":"published","id":"x30682"},"note":""},{"place":{"text":"Scotland","id":"x29130"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1843-1848","earliest":"1843-01-01","latest":"1848-12-31"},"association":{"text":"photographed","id":"x30151"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[{"object":{"text":"PROV.1738-2017","id":"O1381625"},"association":"Shared Other number"},{"object":{"text":"67380","id":"O1100805"},"association":"Version"},{"object":{"text":"RPS.2229-2025","id":"O1808711"},"association":"Album"}],"creditLine":"The Royal Photographic Society Collection at the V&A, acquired with the generous assistance of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund.\r\n\r\nDigitised with support from The Bern Schwartz Family Foundation.","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"21.1","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"paper","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"15.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"paper","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"63.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"album cover","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"47.5","unit":"","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"album cover","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'The Harper of Holyrood'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"pencil, bottom right, mount"}],"objectHistory":"The famous partnership and collaboration between the artist David Octavius Hill and the photographer Robert Adamson came into being originally in order to produce photographic portraits to assist Hill as a painter. The team produced a wide range of superb, valuable work and they were the first to consistently and successfully employ calotype process in Great Britain.\r\n\r\nIn 1843 Hill was introduced to Adamson and they began to collaborate on the production of calotype portraits as reference images for the painting ‘The Signing of the Deed of Demission’ which represents 474 dignitaries. Essentially, Hill posed and arranged the individual sitters or groups while Adamson attended to the technical aspects of the exposure, processing, and printing.\r\n\r\nSome of their most powerful images, however, were made in Scottish seashore villages and depict  fishermen and women. They also photographed  the architecture and monuments of Scotland and made calotypes of their friends posed in medieval armour or costumes.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Photograph by David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, 'The Harper of Holyrood', salted paper print from calotype negative, 1843-48","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"Stevenson, Sara. 'David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson: Catalogue of their Calotypes Taken Between 1843 and 1847 in the Collection of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery', (Edinburgh: National Galleries of Scotland, 1981). ISBN 0903148374","id":"AUTH361378"},"details":"","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"portraits","id":"AAT15637"},{"text":"musicians","id":"AAT25666"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["RPS.2229:20-2025"],"accessionNumberNum":"2229","accessionNumberPrefix":"RPS","accessionYear":2025,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"RPS collection - V&A identifier","id":"THES275176"},"number":"XRP 733"},{"type":{"text":"RPS identifier - other","id":"THES275192"},"number":"S482"},{"type":{"text":"Royal Photographic Society number","id":"THES275233"},"number":"8452"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-21","recordCreationDate":"2025-09-15","availableToBook":false}}