©  Copyright: Peter Stubbs  -   please contact peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk

Rock House, situated at the base of Calton Hill, about ¼ mile to the East of Princes Street, was the home to several renowned photographers.

Rock House

Occupants

in the 19th century

1843-47

David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson 

DO Hill was the artist and painter and Robert Adamson was the technical partner in this calotype partnership. Their calotypes included many of Scottish Ministers, to be used as a basis for DO Hill’s painting of the Disruption, when the Free Church broke away from the established Church of Scotland.

Adamson returned to St Andrews in ill health in 1847, and died a few months later, aged twenty-six. 

1848-69

David Octavius Hill

David Octavius Hill remained at Rock House until 1869, the year before his death.  His only active involvement with photography in this period was a brief partnership with the engraver Alexander McGlashon in 1861-62.  Together, the produced an album of collodion portraits.

1869-70

John Annan & Thomas Annan (The Annan Brothers)

John Annan exhibited in EPS Exhibitions and was a Member of EPS and EPC (Edinburgh Photographic Club).

Thomas Annan exhibited in PSS Exhibitions.  He made a series of documentary photographs of the closes of Glasgow before the area was redeveloped.  He worked in calotype, collodion and gravure.  He was the father of the photographer, James Craig Annan.

Bill Buchanan, biographer of James Craig Annan, reports that the Annan family lived in Rock House for just six months -  a shorter period than is suggested by the Edinburgh Trade Directories.

James Craig Annan recalls briefly meeting DO Hill.  James Craig Annan, in the early 1890s, went on to make photogravure prints from some of Hill & Adamson's calotype negatives, and to promote Hill & Adamson's work internationally by sending these prints to exhibitions.

1871-80

Archibald Burns  

Archibald Burns was a landscape photographer.  He produced cartes-de-visite of Edinburgh scenes.  

He made a unique photographic record of the old Edinburgh streets and buildings between Chamber Street and Cowgate shortly before their demolition in 1867.

Was it a coincidence that Burns’ documentary work in Edinburgh was similar to the Thomas Annan’s documentary work in Glasgow?  Both may have worked together at Rock House , during 1871.

Archibald Burns sent some of his stereograms to Photographic News, edited by William Crookes, in 1859.  The editor wrote:

"If we are to take these stereograms as a fair average specimen of his skill, he deserves to take as high a rank among photographers as his celebrated namesake among poets"

1881-C20

Alexander Adam Inglis  

Alexander Adam Inglis was another landscape and architectural photographer.  He, also, was a Member of EPS, and was a Silver Medal winner in 1886, and exhibited silver and bromide prints at the EPS Exhibition in 1890.

Francis Caird Inglis  

Francis Caird Inglis was the son of Alexander Adam Inglis.  Francis Caird Inglis photographed Edinburgh over many years, including a series of photographs looking East from the Scott Monument to the North British Hotel, and looking west from the Hotel to the Monument.

These were the occupants of Rock House in the 19th century:

1843-47

David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson 

DO Hill was the artist and painter and Robert Adamson was the technical partner in this calotype partnership. Their calotypes included many of Scottish Ministers, to be used as a basis for DO Hill’s painting of the Disruption, when the Free Church broke away from the established Church of Scotland.

Adamson returned to St Andrews in ill health in 1847, and died a few months later, aged twenty-six. 

1848-69

David Octavius Hill

David Octavius Hill remained at Rock House until 1869, the year before his death.  His only active involvement with photography in this period was a brief partnership with the engraver Alexander McGlashon in 1861-62.  Together, the produced an album of collodion portraits.

1869-70

John Annan & Thomas Annan (The Annan Brothers)  

John Annan exhibited in EPS Exhibitions and was a Member of EPS and EPC (Edinburgh Photographic Club).

Thomas Annan exhibited in PSS Exhibitions.  He made a series of documentary photographs of the closes of Glasgow before the area was redeveloped.  He worked in calotype, collodion and gravure.  He was the father of the photographer, James Craig Annan.

Bill Buchanan, biographer of James Craig Annan, reports that the Annan family lived in Rock House for just six months -  a shorter period than is suggested by the Edinburgh Trade Directories.

James Craig Annan recalls briefly meeting DO Hill.  James Craig Annan, in the early 1890s, went on to make photogravure prints from some of Hill & Adamson's calotype negatives, and to promote Hill & Adamson's work internationally by sending these prints to exhibitions.

1871-80

Archibald Burns  

Archibald Burns was a landscape photographer.  He produced cartes-de-visite of Edinburgh scenes.  

He made a unique photographic record of the old Edinburgh streets and buildings between Chamber Street and Cowgate shortly before their demolition in 1867.

Was it a coincidence that Burns’ documentary work in Edinburgh was similar to the Thomas Annan’s documentary work in Glasgow?  Both may have worked together at Rock House , during 1871.

Archibald Burns sent some of his stereograms to Photographic News, edited by William Crookes, in 1859.  The editor wrote:

"If we are to take these stereograms as a fair average specimen of his skill, he deserves to take as high a rank among photographers as his celebrated namesake among poets"

1881-C20

Alexander Adam Inglis  

Alexander Adam Inglis was another landscape and architectural photographer.  He, also, was a Member of EPS, and was a Silver Medal winner in 1886, and exhibited silver and bromide prints at the EPS Exhibition in 1890.

Francis Caird Inglis  

Francis Caird Inglis was the son of Alexander Adam Inglis.  Francis Caird Inglis photographed Edinburgh over many years, including a series of photographs looking East from the Scott Monument to the North British Hotel, and looking west from the Hotel to the Monument.