Hill & Adamson
1843
Ivy-covered tree at Colinton. "the Fairy Tree"

Calotype print
22.50 x 16.60 cm
 
National Galleries of Scotland
Courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland (Accession no. PGP HA 426)
 
Text from the National Galleries of Scotland
 
Early photographic chemicals responded at different speeds to different colours; they were slow to react to the green of trees and grass. This may explain why, Hill, who was an experienced landscape painter, only took a few landscape calotypes. This tree could just be a dead branch with a few tendrils of ivy. The background is made up of spots of unreadable light, which could be the shimmer of leaves or water. It is impossible to tell whether this tree is real or not by looking at the photograph.
 
For a calotype of this image see: St. Andrews University Library, Library Photographic Archive, Record: ALB25-4, General Album 25 [Added by Alan Griffiths, 14 October, 2010]
 
LL/6817