{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O1810407"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1810407/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PK1770/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2025PK1770/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2025PK1770","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O1810407","accessionNumber":"RPS.2229:47-2025","objectType":"Photograph","titles":[{"title":"George Combe, Author of Outlines of Phrenology","type":"assigned by artist"},{"title":"Calotypes","type":"series title"}],"summaryDescription":"","physicalDescription":"A sepia-coloured photographic portrait of a man with large forehead. He is posed in profile and his eyes are downcast. A bound book rests in his hands in his lap.","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"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Salted paper print from calotype negative.","categories":[{"text":"The Royal Photographic Society","id":"THES281081"},{"text":"Photographs","id":"THES48910"},{"text":"Portraits","id":"THES48906"},{"text":"Scotland","id":"THES262877"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"DOP","id":"THES291628"},"images":["2025PK1770"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"LVLF","id":"THES49656"},"free":"","case":"XRP","shelf":"733","box":""}],"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":"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":"21.0","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"image","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"15.3","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"image","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":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"album cover","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"George Combe'","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, lower, 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, 'George Combe, Author of Outlines of Phrenology', salted paper print from calotype negative, 1843-48","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"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."}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"portraits","id":"AAT15637"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["RPS.2229:47-2025"],"accessionNumberNum":"2229","accessionNumberPrefix":"RPS","accessionYear":2025,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Royal Photographic Society number","id":"THES275233"},"number":"8479"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2026-03-06","recordCreationDate":"2025-10-02","availableToBook":false}}