Perth’s Civic Trust have unveiled the city’s first two commemorative blue plaques.One honours David Octavius Hill (1802-1870), the Scottish painter, lithographic printer and great pioneer of photography, in recognition of his important contribution to the development of the photographic art and his legacy in early photographic techniques. The other honours Jessie Mann (1805-1867) considered Scotland’s first woman photographer. Both plaques can be viewed outside 3 Watergate, the Hill’s family home.
The Perth Watergate and High Street corner
David Octavius Hill, the eighth son of bookseller and stationer, Thomas Hill and Amelia Murray is best known for his collaboration with photographer Robert Adamson, in forming one of the earliest and most influential photographic partnerships in history. Between 1843 and 1847, Hill and Adamson produced more than 3,000 images, using the calotype process, an early positive/negative method. Their portraits, landscapes and architectural studies are considered masterpieces and are held in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and in major collections around the world.
Jessie Mann was born in Perth to house painter Alexander Mann and Sarah Laidley. She grew up with four sisters and a brother as near neighbours to the Hill family. When her father died in 1839, she moved to Edinburgh with her two unmarried sisters, to live with their brother, a solicitor, who later became Hill's solicitor. Probably through their earlier Perth connections, Jessie became an assistant to Hill and Adamson at their Rock House Studio. It is believed she took portrait photographs when Hill and Adamson were unavailable, most notably of the King of Saxony in 1844. She featured in a Tate Britain exhibition celebrating women photographers “Painting with Light” in 2016, emphasising her relevance in early photography.
Perth Civic Trust perthcivictrust.org.uk are introducing a scheme of 15 blue plaques celebrating notable Perth individuals by marking the buildings where they lived or worked. This will include Perth born photographer, Magnus Jackson. Starting out in 1855, Jackson created the earliest photographic record of people and places in Perthshire. His collection of around 3,000 glass wet plate collodion negatives is held in Perth Museum & Art Gallery can be viewed on-line at collectionsearch.pkc.gov.uk/search
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