Hill & Adamson’s Fisherwomen and Men of the Firth of Forth

by Sara Stevenson

This important new volume brings together a significant body of work by the pioneering Scottish photographers David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, created between 1843 and 1847 with their collaborator Jessie Mann. Across 160 pages, the book presents many previously unpublished images, offering fresh insight into one of the most influential partnerships in the history of photography. At the heart of the publication is Hill & Adamson’s celebrated series depicting the fishing communities of the Firth of Forth, particularly the village of Newhaven. Widely regarded as the earliest sustained example of social documentary photography, these images capture both the fishermen and the fisherwomen whose labour, resilience, and economic contribution sustained the community. By placing these photographs within their historical and social context, Stevenson’s study restores balance to the narrative and invites a renewed understanding of photography’s earliest achievements