Detail from painting by David Octavius Hill RSA

The Disruption

Reproduced with acknowledgement to the Free Church of Scotland © Photographed by peter.stubbs

The figure with the camera above is Robert Adamson. Behind him, and writing on his pad, just out of the picture above, is DO Hill.

Reproduced with acknowledgement to the Free Church of Scotland © Photographed by peter.stubbs

The person signing in this picture is Dr Patrick Macfarlan. His little grandson is watching him, higher up in the picture. Also, higher up in the picture is Dr Chalmers, sitting in his Moderator's chair with his white bands, forming a focal point for the picture as a whole.

[Thank you to June Bridgeman, London, for providing the details above.]

The Disruption Painting

The details below are details taken from DO Hill's painting of The Disruption.

Hill & Adamson, working in partnership, from 1843, produced several hundred calotype photos of individual ministers, to be used later by DO Hill when he painted the Disruption picture.

This painting measures 12ft x 4ft 8ins. It took Hill from 1843 until 1866 to complete - and it is believed that it may, in fact, have been completed by his wife.