Edinburgh Ale: James Ballantine, Dr. George Bell, and D.O. Hill
A timeless ritual—a jovial meeting over beers—is perfectly rendered by the photographic team of D. O. Hill and Robert Adamson. In the seemingly impromptu snapshot, a mirthful Hill has just risen from the table to stand by George Bell, the surgeon turned social reformer, who almost manages to keep his cool. The writer and renowned stained-glass artist, James Ballantine—in an attempt at seriousness—clutches a book, but struggles to suppress a laugh, while Adamson, operating the camera, remains outside the frame. If this “grammable” photo is eminently worthy of today’s social media—it often surfaces as the first photo of men drinking beer—its candid appearance is mostly an illusion. Because the calotype process required a fairly long exposure, outdoors in the sun, this happy hour was necessarily staged. Even so, the sociability at the heart of the scene is true to life. The picture ably conveys the good humor (and perhaps also the facial expressions) shared by friends over the local ale, “a potent fluid,” according to a contemporary account, “which almost glued the lips of the drinker together.”
Artwork Details
- Title: Edinburgh Ale: James Ballantine, Dr. George Bell, and D.O. Hill
- Photography Studio: Hill and Adamson (British, active 1843–1848)
- Artist: David Octavius Hill (British, Perth, Scotland 1802–1870 Edinburgh, Scotland)
- Artist: Robert Adamson (British, St. Andrews, Scotland 1821–1848 St. Andrews, Scotland)
- Date: ca. 1844
- Medium: Salted paper print from paper negative
- Dimensions: 14 x 19.7 cm (5 1/2 x 7 3/4 in. )
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: The Rubel Collection, Gift of William Rubel, 2020
- Object Number: 2020.311
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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Multiple artists/makers
1843–1847
Multiple artists/makers
1843–47
Multiple artists/makers
1843–47
Multiple artists/makers
1843–47
Multiple artists/makers
1843–47
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